When Sofin awoke the next morning, it was to the sound of quiet voices.
"Should we wake him up?" came a high-pitched voice.
"Are you kidding? Kid screamed like a banshee yesterday. And, I've got sensitive ears," said a second, lower-pitched voice.
"Not gonna scream," murmured Sofin, only half-awake.
"That's a relief," said the lower-pitched voice.
Sofin opened his eyes to see the rabbit from yesterday sitting two inches in front of his face. He screamed and pulled the covers over him. The animals, including the rabbit, two birds, and a squirrel, backed away to the edge of his bed.
The lower pitched voice, who Sofin realized belonged to the gray rabbit, spoke. "You can hear us!"
"You can talk?" came the equally surprised response.
"Can he stop talking, is the better question," said the higher-pitched voice, which belonged to the red robin.
"Hey," said the rabbit, glaring at the bird. "So, what we dealing with here, some kind of magic spell or something?"
Sofin thought for a moment, then his eyes fell to the Amulet of Avalor, still clasped around his neck. His eyes lit up in recognition. "With each deed performed, for better or worse, a power is granted, a blessing or curse. I helped a baby bird yesterday and I think the amulet gave me the power to speak with animals!"
"That is great, kid," said the rabbit. "Because there's a few things I've been meaning to talk to you royals about." Sofin studied the small gray rabbit more closely. He had soft, warm fur, lovable big ears, a cute tiny nose…
"Not now, Clover," said the robin. "He needs to get dressed for school."
"It's okay, Clover," said Sofin, picking up the warm adorable fuzzy rabbit and bringing him closer. "Tell me."
The rabbit shook his head and tried to leap out of the royal's arms. "Hey, personal space, kid! Put me down!"
"Oh!" said Sofin, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He put Clover back down, releasing him. "Sorry, you're just so cute and cuddly, I couldn't help it."
"Well please, help it," said Clover, dusting himself off. Sofin stretched and slowly rose out of bed as Clover kept talking. "Now, why do you think us woodland creatures have been helping you royals for all these years?"
Sofin remembered the story of Snow White, where the forest animals had helped the princess find the cottage of the seven dwarves and clean it. "I don't know," he responded honestly. "Tell me."
"Cause," said Clover, "we gotta eat." He jumped onto the bed to look Sofin in the eye. "And you got the food."
Knowing what was about to happen, Sofin held out a hand. "Before you start singing, I need to get ready for school. Give me ten minutes?"
Ten minutes and one song later, Sofin passed out two plates of fruit to the birds and two plates of vegetables to Clover and the squirrel. The five were sitting outside together on a red-and-white patterned blanket, as a sort of breakfast picnic. 'If only making friends at school were this easy,' thought Sofin sadly. 'I'd bring vegetables to class every day…'
"This stuff is delicious!" said Clover, while munching on a carrot. "You must be one of the best royals there ever was, for finding this stuff!"
"Really?" said Sofin. "They're just carrots. You can get them every day."
"Every day?" questioned the gray rabbit excitedly. "Hey prince, I think I'm gonna like it here!"
Sofin winced. "Um, Clover, is it okay if you don't call me that?"
The rabbit swallowed the piece of carrot. "Prince? Why not?" he asked.
Sofin shrugged. "I don't know…I guess I'm just not ready to be a prince yet. It feels weird. You can call me Sofin instead."
The rabbit nodded. "Sure kid, Sofin it is." A bell rang in the far distance, signaling the royal coach was ready to leave. "You'd better get going, Sofin. Don't wanna be late for royal school."
Sofin stood up, and waved goodbye to the animals. "Bye, everyone! I'll see you all when I get back!" With those parting words, Sofin headed off to school.
The days of the week passed quickly. Between attending classes, spending time with James, and getting to know his new animal friends, Sofin had plenty to do as a royal. James helped him with all sorts of important princely lessons, like bowing, waving, and pouring a perfect cup of tea when Ruby and Jade visited. The two girls, Sofin's best friends from Dunwiddie, were so excited to meet Sofin again, and Sofin was super excited too when they came on Thursday. Classes were getting easier too, as Sofin slowly adjusted to his new life. He was especially interested in history class, where the royals got to learn about all the famous princes and princesses in history.
There was only one thing which Sofin was worried about—well, two things, really. James had put off any dancing lessons, saying that Professor Popov was a much better teacher. But their class wasn't until Friday, the same afternoon as the day of the ball. James had told him, "one class with Popov, and you'll be dancing circles around all of us," but Sofin was still nervous.
But more than the dancing, Sofin was worried about Amber. The princess's mood hadn't improved all week, and she always tried to leave whenever Sofin was nearby. Even Hildegard and Clio said Amber wasn't normally so grumpy. At meals, she'd eat as quickly as possible and ask to be excused, without even looking at Sofin. During classes, the prince would sometimes see Amber glaring at him out of the corner of his eye, though she never said anything out loud. He didn't even know why she was being so mean to him all the time. But with his hands full with preparations for the ball, Sofin never got around to asking her about any of it.
When Friday finally arrived, Sofin entered Professor Popov's classroom, ready to learn how to dance. The other kids had already picked shoes and were starting to stretch, so Sofin quickly hurried over to the shoe rack to pick a good-looking pair. Before he made it there, Amber stopped him, holding a pair of purple shoes on a golden pillow.
"Sofin, don't even think about touching those stinky shoes," said Amber. "I brought an extra, just for you."
Sofin looked at the shoe rack. None of the shoes there seemed stinky, but if anyone could tell the difference, it would be Amber. He accepted the pillow and shoes with a hesitant "Thanks…Amber." Why was she being nice to him now?
"You're very welcome," said the princess. "Now, hurry up and get ready." Right. No time to think about Amber, he had to learn how to dance first. He put on the shoes and had just enough time to take a few steps before the professor called, "Children! Gather round!"
Professor Popov was a tall, elderly man with wispy gray hair and a heavy accent. Sofin joined the group of students huddled near the professor.
"So," he said, "You think you can waltz, eh?" His accent made the 'w' in waltz sound like a 'v'. The professor spun in a circle rapidly on one foot, hands linked together above his head, making a perfect pirouette. James was right: this professor really did know his stuff!
"We shall see about that," said the professor. "I need a volunteer!" He pointed his finger at the group of the children.
Sofin felt a push from behind, and stumbled forward. Turning to look, he saw Amber's hand fall back into the folds of her dress. She had a smirk on her face. What was she trying to do?
"New boy! Excellent!" said Popov. "Follow my lead, if you dare." He held out a hand to Sofin, who took it hesitantly. The professor gestured to a group of nearby musicians, who began to play a slow waltz. The professor took each of Sofin's hands in his own, and began to step slowly: first one way, then the other. Sofin looked down at his feet, trying to figure out exactly where they should go. To his surprise, the movements came almost naturally, each step leading into the next. James had been right, he really might be able to get the hang of this.
Popov then led Sofin into a spin, and for just a moment, it seemed like Sofin would be able to follow. But midway through the step, Sofin felt his legs give out underneath him. Suddenly, his feet were flailing wildly out of control, and Professor Popov let go of Sofin and fell backwards onto the floor. Sofin started jumping from one edge of the floor to the other, his arms desperately trying to keep balance. "What's going on?" he asked, panicked, between jumps. His feet wouldn't stop jumping every time he landed.
Suddenly, Sofin's feet led him into a wild spin, and he nearly bumped into the orchestra before landing with a crash on a group of pillows. Relieved to have finally stopped moving, he turned around, removed the cursed shoes from his feet, then, finally realizing what Amber had been trying to do all class, stood up and glared at her.
Amber put her hand up to her mouth to fake shock, and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry Sofin. I must have given you a pair of Cedric's trick shoes by mistake."
Sofin kept glaring. Thanks to Amber, now his one chance at learning how to dance at the ball was ruined. Now what was he going to do?
Later that day, when school had ended and the ball was starting in just a few hours, Sofin sulked, sitting on his bed. Everything had been going so well! James had been a huge help with learning all the little things, and even at school, he was starting to meet new people. Sofin had almost felt like he was really ready for the ball. He had almost felt ready to be a royal. But then Amber had to come in and ruin his one shot at fitting in. Sofin kicked a foot forwards, feeling miserable.
Looking up, Sofin spied his diary, now unpacked and open, sitting on a desk. It would be a good way to understand his feelings, he decided. The boy moved to the desk and grabbed a pencil, opening the diary to an unused page.
Dear Diary,
Today at school was awful. Princess Amber gave me a set of trick shoes during dance class, and because of them, I couldn't even learn to dance for the ball tonight. There's no way I can learn to dance before the ball now without anyone to teach me. I'm going to look like a fool in front of everyone. And it's all Amber's fault.
Why does she hate me so much? Ever since I've arrived at the castle, Amber's either been mean to me or avoided me. Even when she was being helpful, like when she told me about James, it was just because she wanted me to leave. And even in the coach ride on the first day of school, she said something mean that I couldn't hear. What did I do to her? She keeps ignoring me all the time, too. Whenever I try to talk to Princess Hildegard and Princess Clio, she always leaves in a huff. It's like she doesn't want to talk to me at all.
But I don't really want to talk with her, either. Between classes and James and spending time with Clover, I haven't gotten the time to talk to her about what's going on. But even if I did have the time, I don't think I would want to ask her why she hates me so much. She's just been so mean to me! I'm afraid if I try to reach out, she'll just hurt me again.
I want to be friends with Amber. I really do! She's the most popular princess at Royal Prep. But right now, it seems like we're going to be enemies, instead. What should I do?
Without really thinking about it, Sofin remembered something James had said a few days ago, when apologizing for pranking Sofin. "If you ever need advice, you can come to my room." Sofin sighed and stood up, closing his diary. Why not? James probably hadn't started getting ready for the ball yet. He might as well try to talk to his brother while there was still time left.
When Sofin knocked on and opened James's door, there were a million questions running through his head. 'What do I do about dancing at the ball tonight?' 'Why did Amber give me those trick shoes?' 'How do I become friends with Amber?' But when he opened his mouth to speak, none of those were the question that Sofin asked.
"James, what does it mean to be a prince?"
James looked at Sofin, and didn't respond immediately. When he did, he was quiet and hesitant to speak.
"I don't know, Sofin. It means something different for each person."
"What does it mean to you?"
James was silent for another moment. "I guess...it means being able to have fun while still taking care of the country. It means being able to protect everyone I care about. It means never needing to do something against what I believe in just because someone else tells me that's the right thing to do."
"That feels right…" said Sofin, "...but I think there's something more to it, too. For me, being a royal is all of those things…but it's also learning to be kind and helpful to those who need it. It means never giving up on someone else just because of who they are. It means never needing to give up on myself." Sofin could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.
If James noticed the tears, he didn't say anything about it. "Why'd you ask, Sof?"
"Because," said Sofin, his voice filled with emotion, "I don't think I'm ready to be a prince. I wish I could go home with my mom tonight. I'm not ready for everything that's happening here. And it's not just the water fountain, or Professor Popov's class, or the ball tonight. It's Amber. How am I supposed to learn to be a prince when Amber's there, blocking me every step of the way?"
James tried to speak. "Amber is just—"
"No, I mean," said Sofin, cutting off his brother. He was openly crying now. "Amber…I want her to be my sister. I want us to be able to do things together, like talk with Princess Hildegard and Princess Clio, or draw paintings together, or pick out fancy dresses. But how can I do all that when I can't even talk to her now? How am I supposed to be a prince when I'm too afraid and too hurt to talk to my own sister?"
This time, James responded instantly. "Because, Sof, you don't need to be perfect right now. You'll make mistakes and you'll learn and you'll get better, just like how I made a mistake with the enchanted swing. Nobody expects you to get everything right on the first try. All you can do is try to fix your mistakes and get better." He looked Sofin in the eye, his voice turning serious. "But if you want to do that, you can't just give up now."
Sofin paused, looking down at the Amulet of Avalor, sitting upon his chest. He thought of his mom and his new dad, who believed in him to become a great prince. He thought of his animal friends, and how Clover said he was one of the best royals there ever was. James was right. He couldn't give up now, even though everything seemed awful. He'd find a way to dance at the ball tonight, and he'd find a way to make friends with Princess Amber. No matter what it took.
Sofin wiped the tears off his face. "Okay. I'm not giving up. But…how do I learn how to dance in time for the ball?" asked Sofin, hoping James might have an idea.
The prince shrugged. "Beats me. I'm gonna go find Amber and talk to her about what happened. Maybe someone else has an idea?" With those final words, James left the room.
Sofin sighed. "Who else am I even supposed to ask?" he said to himself. "Mr. Ceedric?" Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Wait, Mr. Ceedric! He probably has a magic spell to help someone learn how to dance!" With new hope in his heart and a new goal in mind, Sofin left James's room and headed to Mr. Ceedric's tower. One way or another, he'd find a way to dance that night.
Humming merrily to himself, Sofin climbed the stairs to Mr. Ceedric's workshop and knocked on the wooden door. After a few moments of waiting, Mr. Ceedric opened the door. He looked around for a moment, not having seen the small child.
"Oh, Mr. Ceedric," said Sofin.
"It's Cedric," said the sorcerer, but Sofin was too excited about learning a magical spell to listen to the sorcerer.
"Hi," said Sofin. "May I come in?"
"Must you?" responded Mr. Ceedric, which Sofin took as a yes. The royal sorcerer must have been very busy. "What is it?" he asked.
"Remember how you said if I ever needed any help?" asked Sofin.
"Of course I remember, I was the one who said it," said the sorcerer.
"Well, I was wondering," continued Sofin, "do you have a spell that will make me a good dancer? It's for the ball tonight. I don't want to look silly in front of everyone."
Mr. Ceedric thought for a moment, then, seeming to understand how important this was, said, "Yes, everyone will be there. I have just the spell for you."
He dragged Sofin over to a spellbook sitting on a stand, the one which still showed the Amulet of Avalor. Flipping rapidly through its pages, Mr. Ceedric eventually stopped at a page full of thick text. Grabbing some parchment and dipping a quill in ink, he wrote the words "Somnibus Populi Celae" in fancy letters, then handed the parchment to Sofin. Those must be the words to the dancing spell.
Sofin took the parchment and began to say the words. "Somni—"
"Wait wait, not now," said Mr. Ceedric, and Sofin immediately stopped. "You must wait until the waltz begins. Then, just say those three magic words, and you'll become the best dancer in the kingdom."
Holding the parchment, Sofin smiled happily at the sorcerer. "Thanks, Mr. Ceedric," he said. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Then, he turned and left the tower, ready to dance at the ball that night.
When the time came, Sofin stood at the top of the main staircase, leading down to the grand ballroom. The dancing spell was safely tucked into one of his pockets. When the trumpets blared and Baileywick announced his name, Sofin held his head high and walked regally down the stairs, just like he had practiced with James. His mom and his new dad stood at the bottom of the stairs, but Amber wasn't with them. In fact, as Sofin took slow steps, he realized he couldn't see Amber in the crowd anywhere. His heart sank a little. What was the princess planning now?
When Sofin reached the bottom of the stairs, the king moved to meet him. "Sofin," he said.
"Your majesty," responded Sofin, like he had practiced. The king held out his hand, and Sofin took it, letting the king lead him to the center of the ballroom floor.
When they arrived at the center, the king looked at Sofin and said, "Shall we dance?"
Sofin didn't need to look at the paper in his pocket. The words were already stuck in his mind. "Somnibus Populi Celae," he said, closing his eyes, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Opening his eyes to see what was happening with the magic, Sofin realized the music had completely stopped. The king, still standing with one arm outstretched, had fallen fast asleep there on the ballroom floor. And as Sofin looked around, he realized the king wasn't the only one. The guests, his mom, James, Baileywick, even Mr. Ceedric himself were all asleep!
Suddenly feeling very alone, Sofin ran up to his mom, trying to shake her awake. "Mom? Mom?" he said, each word more frantic than the last, hoping to wake her up. Oh, why hadn't he looked at the piece of paper beforehand? He must have said it wrong and sent everyone in the room to sleep!
Was there anyone else not in the ballroom? Sofin was panicking now, and he ran out of the ballroom, calling for help. He raced through the corridors, hoping there were guards outside who hadn't been frozen. But as he explored corridor after corridor, calling for help all the way, he realized there wasn't anyone left in the castle at all. And with Mr. Ceedric asleep too, Sofin had no clue how to reverse the spell and fix everything.
Falling to his knees, Sofin began to cry. "What have I done?" he said, quietly to himself. A tear fell from his eye and landed on the purple amulet, still safely fastened around his neck. The purple gem in its center began to glow, brighter and brighter. Confused, Sofin took the amulet within both hands, bringing it up to see. What was going on? Sofin heard something behind him and turned to look.
Cinderella stood there, in her classic blue ball gown, wearing her glass slippers, and very much awake. She smiled at Sofin.
"Cinderella?" asked the prince, now feeling even more confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Your amulet brought me here," said the princess. "It links all the princesses that ever were, and when one of us is in trouble, another comes to help."
That sentence only made Sofin feel more confused, but he realized it really didn't matter how, just as long as he had someone else to help him. "I'm so sorry, Cinderella," said the prince. "I tried to use a magic spell to make myself a good dancer, but I put everyone to sleep. I should have just let them laugh at me. Can you undo the spell?" he asked, feeling hopeful.
"Only you can do that. But I think I can help you find your way," said Cinderella.
She rose to her feet and began walking through the castle. Sofin followed, as the princess began to sing.
"Everyone's heard about the day that true love came for me.
He carried me off and far away from my stepfamily.
But ever since I wed the prince and left my hurt behind,
There's one regret I won't forget that weighs upon my mind.
My stepsisters let their jealousy harden their heart,
But when they ruined my ball gown, that's not all they tore apart.
If only we had tried to see a way to start anew,
We may have found that this time 'round, our friendship only grew.
We could have been true sisters if we only made amends.
True true sisters, and ever after friends.
You suddenly feel that all is lost, frightened and alone,
But maybe yours isn't the only heart that's sinking like a stone.
Though many of the ones you love are frozen in a trance,
Someone who's a lot like you never made it to the dance.
Cinderella led Sofin up a winding set of stairs, to Amber's room. Sofin peeked inside to see the girl sitting sadly on her bed, her dress for the dance torn below her left knee. So that's why she wasn't at the dance. But even looking at her, Sofin could feel hurt and worry rise up inside him again. What if she was just trying to hurt him again?
"But Amber's been so mean to me," said Sofin.
"Perhaps all she needs is a second chance," responded Cinderella. Then, once again, she began to sing.
You could be true sisters if you only make amends.
True true sisters, and ever after friends.
Cinderella was right. Amber did deserve a second chance, despite everything that had happened between them. And like James had said, Sofin needed to never give up, and fix his mistakes. Right now, that meant talking to Amber instead of being afraid of her, because then they could be true—
"Wait, sisters?" said Sofin aloud. But when he looked around, Cinderella was gone.
"Sofin?" called Amber from within her room. Sofin shook his head. Now was not the time to think about amulets or sisterhood. Right now, he needed to talk to Amber. He entered the room, arms held low, looking down at the floor.
Amber turned away from him. "What do you want?" she asked.
"I've done something terrible!" said Sofin. "Come on. I'll show you." He walked back to the ballroom. To his surprise, Amber followed.
When the two neared the ballroom, Sofin spoke up. "I tried to cast a spell to make me good at dancing, but I messed it up, and now everyone's asleep."
They reached the ballroom, so that Amber could see everything for herself. She looked out at the group of sleeping figures, then approached one for herself. "Dad?" she asked, hesitantly. The frozen king didn't respond. "Dad?" she said again, more forcefully. Sofin watched tears fall from her face.
"I'm sorry," said Sofin. "I must have said the spell wrong. It's all my fault."
But, crying as she watched her dad's still form, Amber shook her head. "No, Sofin. You wouldn't have needed that spell if I didn't give you those trick shoes. I was just jealous because… everyone likes you better than me. Even my own brother."
So that was what James had said. "That's not true!" said Sofin. "You're the most popular princess at Royal Prep."
Amber looked down at the floor. "Not anymore. Even Princess Hildegard and Princess Clio like you better than me."
"That's not true either! Every time we talk, they ask if you're doing okay. They've been worried about you, because they're your friends. And…" Sofin took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "I want to be your friend too, Amber. You had no idea how happy I was when I found out we were going to be stepsiblings."
Amber looked Sofin in the eyes. She wasn't crying anymore. "Sofin. We're siblings," she said, and Sofin could feel his heart leap with joy. He hugged his sister tightly, who returned the embrace.
When the two released each other, Sofin looked out at the crowd once again. "How are we gonna wake them up?" he asked.
"I bet Cedric has a counterspell in one of his books," said Amber. "Oh, but his workshop's always locked."
Sofin remembered seeing Mr. Ceedric lift a statue's toe to reveal a key. "Not if you have the key," he said. "Come on!"
After the two reached Mr. Ceedric's tower, Amber helped Sofin reach the statue by giving him a boost. They opened the locked door, only to immediately close it when a screeching raven tried to dive at them.
"I forgot about Wormwood," said Amber. Wait, animals! Clover and the others hadn't been in the ballroom when Sofin cast the spell, so they should be awake too!
"We need more help," said Sofin.
"From who?" responded Amber. "Everyone's asleep."
"Not everyone," said Sofin. "I'll be right back."
Sofin found his animal friends in his room, and after quickly explaining the situation, led them back to outside Mr. Ceedric's workshop, where Amber was waiting.
"Oh hey," said Amber, upon seeing the songbirds. "Those are the animals that helped me to clean my room. I wondered what happened to them."
This time, when Sofin and Amber entered the room, Wormwood's dive was stopped by the birds, Robin and Mia. Each grabbed a piece of rope and managed to tie it around the raven's feet, so that he was stuck in place. The moment Wormwood broke free, Clover and the squirrel, named Whatnaught, began pelting him with vegetables. Amber looked for a second, clearly interested, before calling to Sofin, "Get the spellbook!"
Sofin grabbed the spellbook just as the vegetables ran out. Wormwood, no longer being hit, took the opportunity to dive at Sofin. But Amber hadn't been idle: she had grabbed a broom, and with a satisfying smack, hit Wormwood in the face before he could reach Sofin. "Claws off my brother!" she yelled ferociously. Sofin made a mental note to never anger Amber.
As Amber kept swinging with the broom, Sofin dropped the spellbook and moved to the large cage dangling within the room. He opened it towards the raven, then called out, "Amber, over here!"
With a surprising amount of skill, Amber hit Wormwood with the broom, and the bird went flying directly into the open cage, which Sofin then closed and locked shut, trapping the bird inside. Leaving the cage, Sofin amended his mental note to very much never under no circumstances anger Amber, then hurried over to the spellbook.
"Alright, sports fans! That may be the first time Amber's picked up a broom, but she sure knows how to use it," said Clover as Sofin leafed through the pages. The rabbit held Amber's discarded broom in his hands.
Moving from page to page, Sofin couldn't find anything. He didn't even know where the sleeping spell was, much less the counter-sleeping spell.
"Yo Wormwood? Why so quiet?" said Clover. "Worried we'll tell the other ravens you got outsmarted by a rabbit?" He poked the broom up, hitting Wormwood's cage to annoy him.
"Hardly," replied Wormwood. "We'll see who has the last laugh. They'll never find the counterspell."
"They got your master's spellbook, birdbrain," said Clover, confidently.
"But the counterspell book is hidden behind the painting," replied Wormwood, "so the joke's on them!" Oh. That was useful.
"Thanks, Wormwood," said Sofin, moving the painting to find the counterspell book. He grabbed the book, then took Amber's hand. "Found it. Let's go." The two hurried off, while the shocked Wormwood realized Sofin could understand him.
Sofin wanted to go to the ballroom, but Amber led them back to her own room. "It'll take a while to find the counterspell in this huge book," she said. "You might want to get comfortable."
Sofin looked again at Amber, and noticed the rip in her dress had only grown from all the running. "Actually," he said, "I've been fixing my dolls' dresses for years. I can fix the tear in your dress while you search."
"Really?" said Amber. "Thank you, Sofin!" Sofin grabbed a needle and some blue thread from a conveniently placed sewing kit in Amber's room and got to work.
By the time he had finished, Amber had found the counterspell. She got up and did a little twirl, and the stitches held. "It's as good as new," she said, her voice filled with happiness.
Sofin sighed in response. "Guess I've got to go try to waltz now."
"Wait," said Amber. "There's something I can fix, too. I owe you a dance lesson."
"Oh," said Sofin, realizing the princess wanted to make up for earlier. He stood and took Amber's outstretched hands. His sister started to move across the floor, and they danced the whole way down to the ballroom.
When they reached the ballroom, Sofin returned to the position he had been in when casting the spell in the first place. Amber handed him the counterspell book, open to the correct page. Sofin took a deep breath. This was it. He'd somehow managed to survive his first week as a prince, and become friends with both his new siblings. He caught Amber's eye. The princess nodded. He was ready.
"Populi Caele Exitate."
Magic spread in a great wide circle with Sofin at the center, the spell spreading from person to person, jumping outwards towards everyone. The people awoke: first King Roland, then the rest of Sofin's family, then all the other guests and Mr. Ceedric. With a sigh of relief, Sofin took the king's hand and began a slow waltz. Everything was good. And Sofin finally felt ready to be a royal.
But late that night, when the ball had long since died down and Sofin was in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about one moment from the night's activities that he had almost forgotten in all the action.
"Sisters…"
…why didn't the idea sound too bad?