*Grand Mum's POV*
I was excited. The Count Barnstorm's Flying Starwing horse show is happening in Enchancia. It not only gave me the ability to watch the show but also see my family. So on the way over, I decided to let my son know of my arrival. I sighed as I had to keep up a pretense of being prim and proper but oh well. It would be funny to see my son's reaction. I heard about what happened with Sofia and I was very surprised at what Sofia could do. I heard it from one of my knights, the ones that are apart of any detail for any retired royalty. They could hardly stop talking about her and how she's grown from the little one they met five years ago.
I was happy that Sofia had a good repertoire with many people. I also heard from Tilly that Amber had changed and had matured from the spoiled brat she was now that Sofia was apart of the family. It was a good thing too since Amber was the oldest of the twins. James had a bit of growing up to do and that will come in time, hopefully. Tilly and I were close even though for looks we really weren't, so I knew about her adventures. How could I not? Tilly was also staying in the castle for the time being.
I was flying by in my carriage and saw a beautiful black pegasus flying in lazy circles around the castle grounds. I looked a little closer to see Sofia on its back. I smiled as I saw her, she was tall for her age and definitely acted older than she was. I watched as she dove down in a very fast clip. She landed and hopped off before running into the castle. I had to chuckle as I saw some of the servants frantically sweeping the courtyard. By the time I landed, the entire royal family was out to greet me.
"Hello mother." Roland said.
"Hello, my boy." I said fondly and turned to Miranda, "My, you're even lovelier than when we met at your wedding."
She blushed a little, "Thank you."
"Tilly dear." I said as I turned to my oldest who smiled.
I then looked down to the kids. James was in a blue suit combo, Amber was in a yellow dress, and Sofia had changed from what she was wearing. She was wearing a deep royal purple suit combo that she filled in more than James did his.
"Mother, not that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here?" Roland asked.
"Well, the Count Barnstorm Starwing Show is here in Enchancia. I've seen most of their shows and this one is supposed to be special." I said.
"Special how?" Sofia spoke up.
"Well…" I started before they showed up.
The Count announced that they will be hosting their first ever amature stunt flier contest. Sofia had a broad grin on her face as she looked at Miranda who sighed in amusement.
"Yes, you may. I know you can do it." she said.
Sofia cheered and the kids ran off. I waited till the right moment to sneak into the stables and snuck off once I was sure Roland was busy with royalty things. I bumped into someone and almost fell when they caught me.
"Sofia?" I asked as I looked at the person I bumped into.
"Hello Grand Mum." she said. "What are you doing here?"
"Well…" I tried to stall and come up with an excuse when I saw the amused glint in her eyes.
"Grand Mum, I believe you want to join the show but are afraid of what your son will think since he sees you as a prim and proper lady." she said.
I was stunned. In all my years as Queen, no one had been able to read me as well as my late husband did. Tilly was close but not quite. I nodded.
"Well, if you are, I can help you. What kind of pegasus do you want? Speed, strength, stability, etc." Sofia asked.
"Thank you dear, I'm looking for a good beginner pegasus." I said, "Also, could you not mention this to your father?"
She grinned and nodded, "A good beginner, well, I recommend Windfall. He's our most stable flier and is gentle. I kinda call him the gentle giant of the group."
The pegasus in question whickered and poked his head out of the stall he was in. I went up to pet him and enjoyed it.
"Have you ridden a horse before Grand Mum?" Sofia asked.
"Yes." I said.
"Perfect." Sofia said.
She saddled Windfall and lead him out of the stall. She then grabbed her own, the black pegasus I saw earlier.
"And who is this beauty?" I asked.
"This is Tempest. She's mine. She was originally a pegasus at Royal Prep but since she didn't allow anyone to ride her for years till I rode her, the school let me keep her." Sofia said as she pet the nose.
I followed her to a clearing nearby. We got there and practiced.
"Sofia, would you show me what you're thinking for the show?" I asked.
I've heard about her prowess and wanted to see for myself.
"Sure. You up for a small show Tempe?" Sofia asked.
Her horse whickered in answer and Sofia jumped on. I watched as she was comfortably doing tricks and flips. She even jumped off her horse as they did their own stunt. Tempest did rolls and Sofia did flips. Right before she hit the ground Tempest caught her and they took off. Wow. They were good. I was watching until I felt something off.
"Sofia!" I managed to shout before some men tried to take me. I fought them off enough but they all got pinned to the ground with arrows. I looked up to see Sofia hovering with a bow drawn. I had some questions of course and watched as Sofia landed.
Sofia had an unreadable expression as she tied up the men. I watched as she sat down next to one of them.
"Who sent you?" she asked.
"Fraser. He told us that if he hadn't gotten what he wanted then he would take it by force." one of them said.
Sofia just sighed, "OF course. Just tell him that if he wanted the money, then he should have worked for it instead."
She let a pure whistle out and a couple horses came running. She tied up the men to the horses and the horses dragged them back to the castle. I sat down to just think and Sofia sat in front of me.
"I'm sorry. They were after me." she said softly.
I looked at her to see her just looking down. The two horses came over and nudged her.
"Sofia, it's not your fault." I said.
She sighed, "No, it is. Those men are part of my father's crew. My father wants me because he wants more money because he's too poor to get it himself. He works but he isn't any good so he gets little money. He saw that we were 'wealthy' now and wanted to come back into our lives all because we now had something he doesn't."
We sat together and she told me of the issues she's had so far with her birth father. I wasn't sure how to take it but she was actually talking about it. Miranda had told me when they had gotten married that it would take a while for Sofia to talk about him. Miranda had no trouble talking about him and I'm sure my son knows too, but she told me that Sofia will talk about him when she trusts the person. I pulled her in for a hug and let her just be.
We got back to practicing and I got better. When the day came, I performed first so I did my stunts and people were wowed. Sofia was last in the roster so I got to watch her. I smiled when she did very complicated looking but simple moves.
"Wow, I didn't know Sofia could do that." my son said.
Miranda had a proud look on her face but a sadness in her eyes. We closed out the show and I returned to traveling.
*Amber's POV*
It was time for school again and Sofia was outside playing with Dad. I smiled because Sofia had opened up a little more to him. James was huffy and told Sofia that it was time for school. She grinned and ran to the carriage with her things. Once we got to school, James went off to hang with his friends. Ms. Elodie's class was interesting.
"Today is a big day students. I am proud to announce that in two days we were taking the Royal Prep Dads and Daughters day field trip to the Enchanted Animal Park." she said.
I smiled and looked at Sofia who was a little confused.
"It's a day where the princesses take a father's day field trip picnic with their fathers." I said.
"Wow." she said.
"You'll have a great time Sofia, even if King Roland is not your real father." Hildegard said.
"Why would you say that?" Sofia said with a guarded tone.
"Well, King Roland became your dad after your mother married him." Hildegard said.
I told Hildegard off that King Roland was her father regardless of her birth and she apologizes. Sofia just nodded but was quiet the rest of class. When we got home, Sofia ran off to her room. We packed and as we were packing, daddy came in. With him, I told Sofia about the last three trips, trying to get her to smile a little. Dad mentions his pocket watch and that the picture was his favorite. I found the leaky canteen and dad and I laughed. I didn't notice the guarded look that came into her eyes again.
When the day came, Sofia had packed really light but well. She was in a pair of pants and a shirt. She also was wearing the arm bands that she never takes off as well as her boots. We arrived at the park and I was amazed by the beauty of it. I sighed as I heard the spoiled tone of Hildegard as she wanted at least one animal for herself. We got to the canoes and I told Sofia that dad and I have a system for paddling. She was quiet and we paddled. It wasn't until we got to the Bumbleweed race that I noticed Sofia's lack of excitement. She was just kinda going through the motions, listening to dad but not really hearing him. When it was time for the sing along, Sofia was off to one side staring off into space. I pulled her into the song and she tried but when she got to the word 'dad', she stopped before running off. Dad went after her, good.
*Roland's POV*
I was proud of Sofia, she had come so far so when she ran off during the sing along, I followed her. It was a little bit more difficult than I thought. I had asked Baileywick about how she did with that hike and he told me how she was well off without any help. Miranda had told me that ever since her birth father left, Sofia hasn't had a father and to just be gentle with her.
I found her sitting on a log staring off into space. I had noticed when she looked away when she saw the watch. I walked up to her and got her to look at me. I saw small tears in her eyes and reached to hug her, comfort her, but when I wrapped my arms around her, she tensed. I didn't move and let her get used to it. She slowly let the tension out and I showed her the watch and the picture of her in it. She was shocked.
I told her that she was my daughter and that it didn't matter that she was born to someone else. She was my daughter now as much as Amber is. She hugged me and finally smiled at me, a toothy grin too. Just then, the rest of the group came running by with only Ms. Elodie missing. Amber ran up to us.
"Dad, Sofia, there you are. Ms. Elodie is holding them off but we need to find a spot to hide." Amber said.
"Who?" Sofia asked.
"Some men dressed like pirates." Amber said.
Sofia looked mad and took off in the opposite direction. I was going to go after her but Amber grabbed my hand.
"Daddy, she'll be fine." she said.
I shook my head and went to try and help Sofia and Ms. Elodie.
*Ms. Elodie's POV*
These men were after one of my best students, I wasn't going to let them get to her or the others. So I fought them off long enough for the others to get away. I was holding well but was quickly tiring. I fell and waited for the blade to come down but it never did. I looked up to see a sword blocking the other being held by none other than Sofia herself.
"Sofia?" I asked.
She didn't say anything but she pushed the man back. I watched as Sofia disarmed most of the men and that she was also holding two swords. She knew how to dual wield. Dang. I watched as one of them managed to cut her. I waited for her to scream but it never came, she just fought harder. She tied them up in a very effective way and they were unconscious. She picked up one of their swords and broke it. It shattered in a way that no sword should ever shatter or break. Sofia growled low.
"That man, I should have taken him out when I had the chance." she muttered.
"Who?" I asked as I had heard her.
She looked up at me and I saw the cut. It wasn't bad but it had torn her clothing. She looked down and just sighed. She grabbed a couple plants and mashed them into a paste. I watched as she put the paste into the wound and wrap it with her torn shirt.
"Sofia, we need to get that looked at." I said.
She was quiet and just nodded. Fortunately there weren't any more problems and we made it back to school. I took Sofia to the infirmary where I stayed so she could be taken care of. It was a little concerning that she didn't have much of a reaction to any of the healing tonics and I watched as she healed quickly. I was worried and so I asked Miranda about the scars and she told me of Sofia's upbringing. She told me of how Sofia had grown up learning skills to help her and how those skills sometimes led to her being hurt. So after the trip, I toned down a little bit but I saw the glint in her eyes and found that she enjoyed my enthusiasm for different things.
*Sofia's POV*
A couple weeks went by and it was relaxing. Hopefully those were the last of his men. I was out flying with Tempest as my amulet glowed blue. I directed Tempest to the library and I arrived just in time to catch the book. The Tale of the Noble Knight. Oh good, a knight trip. I got ready and headed for the kingdom of Brazendell where people and dragons lived in harmony until one day the dragons began setting fires all over the land. The king had declared that whomever could defeat the dragons would be named First Knight, leader of all. A man named Sir Oliver, the strongest and bravest, set out to defeat the dragons and vowed to become First Knight. In order to accomplish this is to find the magical Ice Fire shield which holds the power to freeze dragon fire.
The shield can only be found by following a trail of riddles and clues. However a rival knight also wants the shield, his name is Sir Jaxon. So Tempest and I set out to find Sir Oliver. When I did and I listened to his story, something seemed off. I don't know what, but I will soon. I decided to hear both sides of the story instead so when Sir Oliver got stuck in what I would call a rudimentary trap but one that worked well, I went to find Sir Jaxon. It wasn't hard as Sir Jaxon was watching so I asked him about the dragons.
"I'm on the quest to find the shield so I can protect the dragons and the people." Jaxon said.
I heard his story and compared it to the one I heard from Oliver. Hmm…interesting but I knew that the knight who was the strongest and the bravest wasn't always the one who flaunted it. I aided Sir Jaxon in finding the shield but Sir Oliver followed us. Thankfully, Sir Oliver was mainly just all talk, he was a knight but it seemed just barely because Sir Jaxon fought him easily. The King came just as Sir Oliver's plan was revealed and banished him before rewarding Sir Jaxon the shield and the title of First Knight. I sighed as it could have been more complicated.
I was thankful that the Festival of Kites was right around the corner. It gave me something to relax with so I went. Although it was quite a trip too because we had to go find the Men-Saing flower due to Jun having the summer sniffles. Emperor Quan wanted to push his old sorcerer aside so I took him along with Jin to find the flower. Jin was a little too entranced by the 'new' gadgets and was a little annoying. We eventually got to the flower and flew back to the palace using a bamboo kite big enough for us to ride. We got back in time and Jun was healed and was well to start the festival. Kai, a talking panda who liked to dance, joined us as we had met on the trip and he wanted to stop by and watch the festival.
It was a long couple weeks. I loved outdoors and everything but sometimes I just wanted to hug my mom. So when mom wanted to have a game night, I went early and helped her set up. Mom looked better too, seems like royalty is doing her well. Mom and I smiled as we played a small game. One that we played when I was little and we were both free and not working. We always had time to spend together and that hasn't changed.
*Miranda's POV*
I was waiting for the rest of the family to show up to game night. Sofia had come right on time and actually helped to set up. After the whole Balthazar thing, Sofia seemed to be getting better. I know I was, Roland and I finally talked about what happened with Balthazar. Sofia was definitely filling out and looking healthier than ever. She actually went from a lean and wiry build to a build leaning towards lean and toned. Sofia and I were waiting and she was sitting in my lap.
She was dozing off when Amber came running in. She looked like she was going to say something but calmed down.
"Hi mom. So sorry I was late. I was looking at the stars and lost track of time. Thankfully Sofia had put a note somewhere I could see it." Amber said.
"Oh that's alright, your father and brother are late though." I said.
"Daddy is coming. He's finishing up a meeting with the Royal Builder. He made it clear that he was not to be bothered at all later." Amber said.
"Hmm, how about a family vacation?" Sofia said.
"Oh that'd be wonderful." I said.
So I decided to book one to the Royal Elephant Rain Forests. I told Baileywick about it so he would clear all the schedules that day and the next. Amber actually packed light, well, light for her, but she was smiling as she packed with Sofia. James was the only one grumbling about it. After a bad start, we took shelter inside a cave nearby.
"We could be here all night!" James grumbled.
"Yeah so? You can last a day without the castle luxuries." Sofia shot back.
"Well we don't have food remember? They were washed down the river." he said.
I sighed as Sofia looked at me.
"Mom, please. I'll be fine. I saw a couple not too far from here as well as a couple lizards." Sofia said.
"Alright. Go. I know you'll be fine. I just don't like thinking about it." I said.
Sofia grinned and ran off. While she was off, I had the others build a fire. One that I've seen her make before.
"Sofia's going hunting isn't she?" Amber asked quietly.
"Yes." I said.
Sofia wasn't gone long actually and had a couple rabbits and a couple lizards in her hands. She took a knife and started to gut and clean the animals. She took the inedible parts and gave them to a nearby animal which ate them. She came back and started cooking the meat.
"Sofia," Roland asked.
"Yes?" she said.
"How do you know how to do this? When did you learn?" he asked.
"Yeah, I won't learn til I'm at least ten." James said.
Sofia looked down but she answered, "Five."
She pulled the meat off and I pulled out some dried fruit I had and we ate. Once we ate, we all played Who am I, a game where we do impressions of someone. James finally started enjoying the vacation. Surprisingly Amber wasn't the one to complain. I think it had to deal with Sofia who was explaining everything to her and making it interesting. We managed to find the elephants and watched as they played. Sofia went up to them and we actually got to ride them. It was a great vacation and we headed to the hot springs.