Chapter 7: Battle for Royal Prep
The newly named Sofia stared idly out the classroom window, humming quietly to herself. Outside, she could see the beautiful castle courtyard and the clock tower, rising high into the sky. Sofia drummed her fingers against the bare desk impatiently as students slowly filed into the classroom. It was almost time for her third class of the day at Royal Prep, and the one she was most excited for: Magic with Miss Fauna. Normally, magic was one of her hardest subjects, even with Mr. Cedric's help. Turning rocks into rubies or forks into flowers just didn't come naturally to her. But this time, the Enchancian princess had a secret weapon.
Sofia reached into her purple bookbag and pulled out the magiocules she'd won last night at the Sorcerer's Soirée. According to the sorceress who'd given her the prize, the goggles were supposed to let Sofia see magic when they were worn. She hadn't tried them on yet, but couldn't wait for class to start so she could see real magic as it happened. What would it look like? Swirls of light? Or maybe streams?
"Hey Sofin!" came a friendly voice from across the classroom. Sofia winced a little at the name, but lifted her head to see Charlene's bubbly self entering the classroom. The cheerleader, one of Sofia's closest friends, was dressed in a comfortable-looking pink dress which hung just below her knees. She waved brightly, then sat down beside Sofia.
Sofia took a deep breath in and out. This was it. She remembered the talk she'd had with Clover just the night before. All she needed to do was tell Charlene that she didn't want to be called "Sofin" anymore. It was that easy.
Sofia turned to Charlene and opened her mouth, ready to say something. Then she saw the smile on Charlene's face and hesitated. The two of them had grown to be such fast friends over the past year. What if Sofia saying something suddenly changed that? What if Charlene thought she was weird? Silence hung in the air for a moment too long.
"Sofin?" asked Charlene cautiously, seeing her friend's open-mouthed expression. "You okay?"
Sofia closed her mouth and turned away, ignoring the wrong name. Getting called the wrong name once or twice wasn't worth potentially losing one of her closest friends. "Sorry," answered Sofia. "Just thinking. It's nice to see you, too."
Charlene seemed satisfied by that answer, and her gaze drifted down to the pair of goggles in Sofia's hand. "Hey, what are those?" she asked, eyes glinting with curiosity.
"They're called magiocules," answered Sofia. She lifted them up so Charlene could get a better look. "Apparently, if you wear them, you can see magic as it happens!"
Charlene's eyes went wide. "Woah," she breathed. "Can I try?"
"I haven't even looked in them myself," answered Sofia honestly. "I only got them last night."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" said Charlene. "Try 'em!"
Sofia looked at the classroom, which was about half-full by now. "I was going to wait until Miss Fauna showed up, in case something bad happened…."
Charlene rolled her eyes. "They're just a pair of goggles," she countered. "If something does happen, you can just take them off. Now, come on! Try them out already!"
Sofia looked down at the pair of goggles. She was curious about what magic looked like. And if something did happen, Miss Fauna would be here any minute anyways.
"Okay!" agreed Sofia. She carefully removed the caps from the goggles and then, ever-so-gently, placed them atop her eyes, wrapping the elastic band around her head so it wouldn't fall loose.
The world filled with light. Little wisps of brightness formed everywhere in Sofia's vision, dancing through the air and bouncing off solid objects. It was hard for Sofia to track a particle of magic with her eyes: as soon as she settled upon one strand, it seemed to bend through the air and disappear into nothingness, and another tiny wisp would take its place. There seemed to be hundreds of little motes of light shining all through the room, too many to count, filling each inch of space. Sofia's jaw dropped open. She was suddenly thankful she hadn't worn these at the Soirée itself. Even in the classroom, the light was almost blindingly bright. She couldn't imagine what the Soirée must have looked like.
"So?" said Charlene expectantly. "What's it look like?" Then, without giving Sofia a chance to respond, her eyes lit up. "I should try casting a spell!"
Charlene rummaged in her bag for a moment, eventually pulling out her training wand. The wand, which was normally just a stick of wood, looked completely different wearing the magiocules. Complex-looking runes made purely of light weaved up and down the surface of the wand, braiding into mesmerizing patterns. Sofia thought she would get a headache if she tried to understand all the symbols she was seeing. It was all so much.
Charlene brandished the wand, then pointed it at a nearby pencil. "Mutato rubio," she chanted, and Sofia watched as little strands of light curved through the air, pooling into a ball near the point of Charlene's wands. The runes on the side of the wand pulsed brightly in patterns, and then the light gathering at the tip of the wand suddenly shot off, reaching the pencil and furrowing into it. The next half-second happened too fast for Sofia to see, as the pencil morphed and changed and before Sofia could even see what happened, the pencil had changed into a ruby.
Little strands of light leaked off the newly transformed gemstone. "It's beautiful," whispered Sofia. "Charlene, you have to see this." She pulled off the goggles, then handed them to the cheerleader, who put them on immediately
"Woah," said Charlene, seeing the world through the magiocules. Sofia nodded her head emphatically. Magic was so pretty.
"I could show you what a spell looks like," suggested Sofia. But before she could find her wand, the classroom door opened one final time, and the green-robed magic teacher floated in.
"Hi, Miss Fauna!" waved Charlene. Then her eyes opened wide behind the tinted lens of the goggles. "Woah, you're surrounded by tiny bits of light!"
"Oh my!" responded Fauna, surprised. She floated over to Charlene, who was seated next to Sofia in the first row. The fairy wiped her glasses with the hem of her green dress. "Is that a pair of magiocules I see?"
"Yep!" agreed Charlene. "They're actually Sofin's, but he let me borrow them." Sofia grimaced at the word 'he', but said nothing. "Why are you covered with magic?"
The magic teacher laughed. "Why, it's because I'm a fairy," she explained. "Fairies are inherently magical creatures, unlike humans. We live and breathe because of the magic within us. In fact, if you looked at any magical creature at all-a dragon, a griffon, even a flying horse-you'll see the magic that naturally surrounds them."
Charlene nodded excitedly, then pulled off the magiocules, handing them back to Sofia. "That was so awesome," she remarked.
Sofia took back the pair of magiocules with a smile, then felt a tap on her back. Turning around, she saw James, who was sitting behind her, trying to get her attention.
"Hey," whispered the prince, still loud enough to be heard by the whole class, "do you think I could try on those magic goggle things? Promise I'll give them back."
"Ooh, ooh! Can I try 'em on next?" said Khalid, who was seated next to James.
"And me!" said Hildegard, halfway across the classroom.
With that, the floodgates had opened: all the students in the classroom crowded around Sofia, asking to try on the magiocules. Sofia looked wildly from one student to another. She didn't mind sharing with the rest of the class, but there were just so many people!
"Now, now," said Fauna, and the children quieted down. "Is that behavior fitting of princes or princesses?" The class shook their heads in unison and backed away, returning to their original seats. Fauna nodded approvingly. "Now, that's more like it." She turned to Sofia. "Now, dear, would you like to share your magiocules in the class? Only if you'd like."
Sofia sighed in relief. "Of course I would, Miss Fauna," she said. She handed the magiocules to James, who excitedly put them on. "Pass the magiocules around when you're done," she whispered to her brother.
James nodded with wide eyes. He looked around, seeing the brilliant bits of light throughout the classroom. "Wicked," he breathed.
"A rather enchanting sight indeed," agreed Miss Fauna. "But I'm afraid today's lesson is not about magic at all."
Sofia's eyebrows rose. Not about magic? But this was magic class!
Miss Fauna floated to the blackboard and waved her wand, forming pictures of chalk that shifted as she spoke.
"I know this might seem rather surprising to you, but magic is not the only strange power that fills the air around us. It's just the most common. Today, we'll take a short break from our learning of magic to instead talk about energy."
"Energy?" whispered Charlene to Sofia.
Sofia shook her head. "Never heard of it," she whispered back, hoping Miss Fauna wouldn't hear her whisper.
"You might not have heard about it," began Miss Fauna, and Sofia's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "But I'm certain you all have encountered energy before. Energy is the power that seeps through all living beings and gives them the will to act, to move and jump and play and live. Why, without energy none of us would want to move around or go to school or learn what it means to be a good princess." The pictures on the chalkboard shifted to match each topic the fairy mentioned.
Desmond raised his hand shyly, and Miss Fauna pointed at him. "T-there's energy inside me right now?" said the timid boy, quivering a little.
"Indeed there is," agreed Miss Fauna. "But really, it's nothing to be afraid of. Unless you're dealing with a great quantity of energy, the energy that resides within us and around us is completely harmless.
"And what if there's a lot of energy?" continued Desmond, sounding slightly worried.
"Well," said Fauna, "usually, not much would change. You'd be a little more bouncy, a little more enthusiastic about the things that happen. Perhaps the air around you would feel a little tingly or electric, or perhaps your steps would feel lighter and you'd find it easier to get things done. But in a few distant parts of the wide, wide world, and in a few special energy-containing artifacts, there's so much energy that the world seems to bend a little around it. And in these places, strange and unusual things may happen, just like magic. But you shouldn't confuse the two."
Something stirred at the back of Sofia's mind. A strange thing that wasn't magic? Why did that sound familiar?
Miss Fauna continued her speech merrily. "In fact," she said, "for the second half of today's lesson, you all have the unique opportunity to see one of these energy artifacts for yourself. I'll be off to retrieve it in a moment: it looks rather like an orb. It's also quite valuable, so even though the artifact is rather sturdy, please do be careful with it." The class broke out into excited whispers. An artifact full of energy? What would it do? What did Miss Fauna mean by 'things happening like magic'?
Sofia was still busy thinking about why that description had sounded so familiar. Something that looked like magic, but wasn't magic…an artifact filled with energy…
The realization came in a flash. Atlantis. The heart of Atlantis had been filled with an otherworldly green light, and somehow it was powerful enough to bring light to the entire mermaid kingdom. And she had found out with Oona that it couldn't be a magical artifact, since any magic in Atlantis disappeared eventually. The clues snapped into place, and Sofia focused intently on what Miss Fauna was saying. If this was related to the mystery within Atlantis, she didn't want to miss another word.
"Now, since the energy artifact is rather valuable, we keep it within the school's storage room."
Sofia blinked in surprise. The school had a storage room? Oh wait, of course the school had a storage room.
"So," continued the magic teacher, "I'll have to make a quick stop there to retrieve it. Be back in a jiffy!" She floated out of the room and down the hall, leaving the classroom door open behind her.
With Miss Fauna gone, the class's attention turned to the second most exciting thing in the room: Sofia's magiocules. About half the class had looked into them by this point, and groups of friends whispered animatedly to each other about how cool it was to see magic.
"Psst, Sof," whispered James, and Sofia turned to him with a smile, suddenly very thankful for the nickname. "What do you think a Dazzleball looks like under the magio-"
James's sentence was interrupted abruptly by a very loud 'thump' noise, seeming to come from outside of the classroom. The chatter in the classroom stopped instantly, and heads turned to the window, but nothing seemed to have changed.
"What was that?" said Charlene. Nobody responded.
Another loud thump shook through the classroom, this one slightly louder. Sofia thought the room might have vibrated a bit. Panicked murmurs began to sweep through the classroom.
Sofia turned to survey the room, spying Vivian taking off the magiocules. The brown-haired princess stepped over to her friend and held a hand out. "Can I have those for a second, please?" she asked.
Vivian nodded mutely and handed the magiocules back.
Sofia put on the magiocules, blinking for a second to adjust to the brightness of the magic lights. Then, she strode to the window and peered out at the courtyard beyond. Through the magiocules, she could see wisps of magic floating in the air outside, silently shifting as if moved by a million invisible eddies of wind. To one side was the clock tower, standing tall beside the school, and at the edges of the window Sofia could just spy the corners of the playground. Directly forward lay the closed front gate to the school, sealed shut with an iron lock. But none of those were what caught Sofia's attention, when she stared outside the window to the front of the school.
No, Sofia's only focus was on the giant, shimmering dome of magical light, which surrounded the school just outside the gate. The bits of magic gleamed brightly in the mid-afternoon sun, weaving together to form a tight-knit pattern, a rune repeated thousands of time across the surface in a spiderweb fractal across the magical wall. Instead of the constantly moving magic filling the air, the magic in the dome stayed in one place, so bright and solid that Sofia felt she could touch it with her fingers.
Then, without warning, the sound of another thump echoed through the classroom walls, and this time Sofia was sure the entire room trembled a small bit. Then, for a fraction of a second, the light of the magical dome flickered, losing much of its light for a brief instant. Almost immediately, the shimmering barrier reasserted itself, the light glowing so brilliant that if Sofia hadn't seen the whole thing with her very eyes, she might have imagined nothing had happened to the magical wall at all. But she'd seen it. Her heart sank.
"What do you see?" said Charlene.
Sofia took a shaky breath. "There's a barrier," she said, traces of fear worming their way into her voice. Another ominous thump. The barrier flickered once more. "And I think it's under attack."
Gasps echoed through the classroom. Charlene paled, her eyes growing wide in disbelief. "Attack?" She repeated. "Who would attack the school? What's going on?"
"I don't know," said Sofia tersely. "But I'm going to find out. Here." She pulled off the magiocules and handed them to Charlene. "You watch the barrier. I'm going to go find Miss Fauna—or, or someone who can tell me what's happening."
Charlene nodded wordlessly, her brown eyes filled with fright. She put on the goggles and walked to the window, the other students moving aside to get her pass. "I'll tell you all if anything happens," she said. Another thump shook the classroom, and Charlene shivered.
Sofia took a deep breath, then moved to the door of the classroom. "I'll be back as soon as I know what's going on," she promised. "I'm sure everything's going to be okay." She opened the door, her hand slightly shaking as she turned the doorknob.
A familiar hand landed on Sofia's shoulder. "I'm coming with you, Sof," said James, moving to stand behind Sofia. "Come on. I bet we'll find the fairies in no time. They'll blast those attackers faster than you can say 'boom goes the fairy cannon'."
Sofia laughed despite herself. "Boom goes the fairy cannon?" she said incredulously. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well," defended James, "I bet a cannon full of fairy magic would totally get rid of whoever's trying to hit that barrier."
"Oh, James," sighed Sofia. Her brother could be so silly sometimes. She stepped out the door.
James stepped out beside her, the prince looking down one hallway, then the other. "Uhhhh…." He looked suddenly unsure of himself. "Do you know where the storage room is?"
Sofia shook her head. "I didn't even know there was a storage room," she admitted.
"Me too," said James.
"Strange," agreed Sofia. "Maybe we should go to the headmistresses' office instead. At least Flora and Merriweather will be there."
"Great idea, Sof," agreed James. Another thump echoed through the school, shaking the walls a slight bit. "We'd better hurry," added James.
Sofia nodded and followed James towards the headmistresses' office. The walk was short and spent in silence, with no more ominous sounds echoing through the walls. But for all of James's silly antics, Sofia appreciated the company. Having someone beside her made the whole world look a little brighter.
James reached the closed door to the office and knocked, once quietly, then again, more firmly. No response was heard from inside the office. The short prince put his hand on the doorknob, and to Sofia's surprise, it twisted without resistance. James looked to Sofia, who shrugged wordlessly. Then, the prince opened the unlocked door, peering inside.
Hovering in the air was not one, not two, but all three fairy headmistresses of Royal Prep, including Fauna. All three fairies seemed stuck in midair, eyes closed, their hands linked so that the three of them formed a kind of triangle. If Sofia squinted, she could just make out each of their mouths moving up and down, as if they were all chanting in unison, but no noise was being produced.
"Fauna?" said James, confused. "Flora? Merriweather?" There was no response from the trio of fairies. "What's going on?" he asked Sofia.
The princess shook her head. "I don't know," she said.
James took another look at the silently moving mouths of the fairies, his eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe they're under some sort of sleeping spell?" he suggested.
"Let's find out," said Sofia. She took a step towards the fairies, reaching a hand out to shake Merriweather's blue cloak. But just before she grasped the soft fabric, another hand darted forward and grabbed Sofia's wrist, holding it tightly in place so she couldn't move.
"Don't," came the clear and commanding voice of Professor Velova. Sofia turned to see the royal history teacher had entered the room, her expression grim. She wore a bell-shaped hat that just barely covered her ears. The teacher released Sofia's hand, and the Enchancian princess let it fall to her side, loosely.
"Why not?" asked James.
"It seems they're performing some sort of magic circle," said Professor Velova. She backed out of the headmistresses' office, and the two children hurriedly followed. "If I had to guess, they're currently powering the shielding spell around the school. Disturbing them might break it."
Sofia's eyes widened. Oops.
James's face turned an ashy white. "Oh," he said, echoing Sofia's own thoughts. Without another word, he closed the door to the headmistresses' office, carefully locking it from the inside.
The royal history teacher nodded in approval. "Good thinking," she praised. "As long as the fairies stay locked in that magic circle, the barrier will remain active. There's nothing to be worried about."
"Not even the thumping?" said James.
Velova shook her head firmly. "The magic that protects Royal Prep is widely known as one of the most powerful defensive sources of magic in the world. It has to be, considering this is where many of the future rulers of kingdoms come to learn. There hasn't been a successful attempt on this school's protections, ever, in the centuries Royal Prep has been around."
"But why are they trying, then?" asked Sofia. "What if they have something even more magical than the school's protection?"
"And who are 'they', anyways?" added James. "Who would try to attack the school?"
Velova looked to one of the windows, her gaze looking out at the horizon beyond. "Many people," she answered, "but all of them foolish and full of childish bravado. I assure you, there is no danger to the school."
"What do we do then?" asked Sofia.
"Wait," answered Professor Velova bluntly.
"Wait?" said James incredulously.
"Wait," repeated Professor Velova. "The protection around the school is impossible to break, and there are children here from most of the kingdoms of the EverRealm. Given enough time, someone will come looking at the school, and then the attackers, whomever they are, will have the guards of dozens of different nations after them."
"Can't we send a message?" said Sofia. "If dad knew there was someone attacking the school, he'd send half the Enchancian guard in a heartbeat."
Velova shook her head. "While everyone inside this school is safe, including the grounds, I'm afraid that's not true for anyone—or anything—outside the school's barrier. It's simply not safe to try to send a letter outside the school, not via flying horse nor pigeon."
"What about a magical letter?" countered James, wearing a small frown. "There has to be something we can do other than wait!"
Velova's smile was slightly sheepish. "I was never much one for magic myself," she admitted. "The three people I know can send a magical letter are currently inside that office, holding together the shield surrounding the school. Unless you all know the spell, we might be out of luck."
Sofia turned the trail of logic over and over in her head looking for a flaw, but came up short. Her face fell. "So, that's it?" she said. "We just wait?"
Professor Velova sighed. "I'm afraid that's all we can do," she responded. "I'm going back to my class, to tell the students the situation and inform them all to not panic. You're supposed to be in Magic class with Fauna, aren't you? I suggest you do the same." Without another word, the tall, dark-haired teacher turned and strode down the hallway, leaving the pair behind.
The second she was out of earshot, James turned to Sofia. "We can't just wait!" he exclaimed. "We've gotta do something to keep the school safe. Right, Sof?"
"Like what?" asked Sofia.
"I mean—we could—" stammered James. "I don't know, we could go outside and maybe at least find out who's attacking the school."
"Isn't that dangerous?" said Sofia. "The shielding spell only goes so far. If we step outside, we won't be protected anymore."
"We'll be careful," assured James. "We won't even go close to the barrier." He turned towards the front entrance of the school. "You coming?"
Sofia sighed and looked down. "James, I just don't think it's safe. Professor Velova—" she began.
James's head flicked back to her, anger in his eyes. "When did you start listening to whatever teachers say, anyways?" he snapped.
Sofia let the barb slide off her, knowing James was just stressed. "Think about it, James," she pleaded. "It's Professor Velova! You know her. She's not the kind of person to just wait around when things happen. The fact that she's the one telling us to wait means there really is nothing better to do."
James was quiet for a moment, then took a deep breath in, and out, the tension slowly receding from his face with the exhale. "I guess," he admitted. "But Sof, you saw the barrier with your own two eyes! We all heard the thumps of something hitting the shield. The classroom even shook a little! Are you sure this magic barrier is really unbreakable?"
Sofia opened her mouth, then closed it, visions of the magical barrier as it flickered unsteadily dancing through her mind. It had returned looking just as strong as ever, but…
"I don't know," admitted Sofia. "Maybe you're right."
James took Sofia's hand. "Then we should at least get a view of what's happening for ourselves," he declared. "I promise I'll be safe."
"Okay," agreed the princess. She didn't want to go out at all, but James made a good point. If the barrier fell, it would be good to know exactly who was attacking the school and what they wanted. "No going past the barrier. Or even near it. We're just gonna figure out who's attacking the school, get a good look at what they're doing, and then go back to class as soon as we've figured that out."
James nodded, a serious look in his eyes. "Got it," he responded. "Now let's go." He turned down the hallway once again, and this time, Sofia followed.
Author's Note: Fun fact, can you believe this chapter was originally supposed to be combined with the last one? I realized pretty soon that there was way too much to talk about for just one chapter, so it got split up. That being said, you'll see a couple plot elements from last time bleed over into Chapter 7, and because these two chapters used to be one, Chapter 7 isn't based on an episode from the show. Nifty.