PART 1
"Hello Baileywick." Sofia said with a smile as she walked onto the balcony, dodging maids running past her with their arms full.
"Good afternoon Princess Sofia," he replied softly as he finished hanging a floral garland along the stair railing. "How do you like the decorations so far?"
"They're wonderful!" she said as she rested her hands on the cold balustrade, peering into the room below.
The Palace was a hive of activity, more so than usual, with everyone running around trying to get all their tasks completed before the ball tomorrow night. Servants were scattered everywhere. Some were cleaning the glass panes on the enormous doors that led out into the gardens. Others were waxing the marble floors until Sofia could see their reflections, smiling as they worked. A group of footmen were polishing large floor standing candelabras and others were laying out the long, ivory taper candles, counting them as they went.
On the other side of the room, hall boys ran back and forth carrying small, round tables and chairs with burgundy velvet seats. Sofia's gaze shifted to the ladder in the middle of the room, a man on each side holding it steady. Her eyes followed the wooden bars to the top to meet a dark-haired man shining the crystals on the chandelier delicately. He gave her a small smile before turning back to his task. Sofia didn't recognise him but gave a friendly smile back.
'He must be new' she thought to herself.
"You've out done yourself, again!" Sofia chuckled, turning back to Baileywick.
"Thank you, Princess," His lips stretched into a soft smile as he bowed his head slightly before bending down to pick up another garland from the basket by his foot. "What can I do for you?"
"I thought I might go berry picking before dinner but when I asked one of the kitchen maids for a basket, she said they had been moved?" Sofia watched Baileywick as he tied the garland, admiring the deep green vines that were adorned with purple, pink and white flowers and golden ornaments dotted in between.
"Ah, yes. They would have been put in the attics. We moved all the unnecessary clutter out of the kitchen to make space for the food preparation. If you give me a moment, I can find someone to fetch it?"
"No, no need. You're all far too busy and it's just one basket I can manage, carry on." She smiled as she skipped down the staircase towards the kitchen.
It had been almost four years since Sofia had arrived at the palace and the transformation of the grand ballroom before a party still amazed her every time. As she walked out and into the throne room, she found more servants rushing around. Maids dusted the frames of portraits hanging on the walls and others placed lavish vases with flowers that matched perfectly to those in the other room. Sofia was so in awe of her surroundings that she didn't even notice three men walking towards her carrying a rolled-up carpet across their shoulders. She quickly jumped to her left to let them through and they bowed their heads as they passed.
"You know Sof, you should really look where you're going." Clover chuckled as bounded over to her as fast as he could manage.
"Clover! Just the bunny I was looking for." She giggled, bending down to scratch under his chin. "Do you want to pick some berries with me?"
"You know me Princess, I'm always up for anything involving food." He replied, licking his lips.
"Oh, Clover." Sofia giggled, rolling her eyes before heading for the kitchen, Clover hopping close behind.
Inside, the kitchens were a bustling mess with more people than there was space for, everyone working hard to get everything prepared in time. Sofia liked coming down here when she had time to spare whether it was to help out or to sample some of the food, which she did happily. She knew everyone by name and was friends with most of the younger kitchen maids. Even with all of the extra bodies, trying to slip past unnoticed was almost impossible, her brightly coloured gown standing out against the muted browns and creams of their uniforms.
The Head Chef's eyes widened as he spotted Sofia and quickly shouted for some kitchen maids to huddle around her dismantled cake to avoid ruining the surprise. She quickly slapped her hand up to her face to cover her eyes while mouthing a silent 'Sorry' and a low chuckle erupted around her. Using her other hand to blindly feel along the walls she found the door she needed. She opened it quickly jumping inside and closed the door behind her, Clover barely making it through. Removing her hand, she stared up at the twisted wooden staircase.
Clover sighed. "That's a lot of stairs."
"Want me to carry you?" She giggled, bending down with her arms stretched out and Clover jumped into them with a low grunt.
As beautiful as the castle was, the hidden and forgotten areas were Sofia's favourite. They reminded her so much of her village life and she missed the simpleness of it all sometimes. It was one of the reasons she made friends with the staff as many of them lived in the village and they kept her up to date with the latest news.
The stairwell itself was cold and dark. The grey bricks were covered in concrete powder that coated the steps in a layer of dust, thicker at the sides. With each step she took, a small puddle of dust cascaded to the ones below and as they reached the top Sofia huffed.
"You were right Clover, that was a lot of stairs," she said, placing him down on the floor and looking down the narrow corridor, "Now, where are those baskets?"
"I dunno but look at all the doors. What is even up here?"
"Mainly art and trinkets from the previous Kings and Queens." She replied, still catching her breath. "Do you want to look around or are you too hungry for those berries?"
"You know me, I'm always hungry." They laughed. "But we've probably got some time before I'm starving." Clover said, hopping over and placing a paw on the first door.
The narrow hallway was dimly lit by a single window at the top of the staircase. There was three doors on either side and one at the very end of the hall. They found the baskets in the first room, right inside the door, and Sofia placed one outside before carrying on with their exploration.
Each room had a small window which let in a tiny beam of sunlight. Mostly everything was covered with sheets, thick with dust. They found portraits of Royals, old jewellery boxes, random trinkets of silver and gold and a stack of beaten journals, some looking hundreds of years old. After weaving in and out of each room they reached the final door.
"What's in there Sof?"
"I don't know, it's always locked." Forever curious about what was hidden behind the door, Sofia slowly turned the knob and to her surprise it opened with a loud creak. They creeped in slowly and were shocked that it was practically bare besides a few boxes, a small couch half covered by another dust sheet and a large mirror resting against a wooden support post. Clover bounced over to an open box and started digging through.
'Why lock an empty room?' she thought, shaking her head.
Looking around, Sofia realised how much it looked like her old attic bedroom with its cream walls with wooden beams and small window. She sighed, walking over to the couch and sitting herself down in front of the mirror. Clover stopped rummaging around in the boxes and watched her place her chin in her hands, elbows resting on her knees.
"What's up princess?" He said softly as he hopped over to sit at her feet but Sofia didn't answer. She looked up to the mirror and felt the tears pricking her eyelids. "You can tell me kid, I'm here to listen. That's what these long ears are for." He said as he stretched out his ears with his paws. Sofia choked out a small giggle.
"It's just-" She paused and lifted her head from her hands. "I moved into this castle when I was 8. You'd think that after all these years of being a princess I'd be used to all of this but I guess I'm just still not used to- "
"All the fuss?" He interrupted. Sofia nodded and groaned.
"I know tomorrow is a big day, It's my birthday," she smiled. "I'm all grown up as my mom would say. But the huge ball? The dancing? The decorations?" She sighed again.
"It's not what you want?" Clover rubbed his head against her ankle and she bent down to rub his ears.
"It should be. I'm a princess now but what I wouldn't give for a small picnic or a tea party like I used to have in the village. Just me, Ruby and Jade. Maybe even a few of the other kids from the village school." She smiled.
"Have you told anyone this? Baileywick? Or your mom?"
"No, this is what is expected of me," She shook her head. "But what I wouldn't give for those days back." She chuckled quietly to herself. "You know? Sometimes I wish it had just stayed me and my mom, that she hadn't married the king and I never became a princess." She confessed, brushing a single tear from her cheek.
"Now that is silly. Sof, you don't really mean that do you? Your mom is so happy and in loveā¦"
"No, I know Clover. Of course I don't mean it I just think about it sometimes." Sofia looked up to the window and gasped as she noticed the orange and pink shades of the clouds. "Oh gods, Clover we've been up here hours. They're probably looking for us for dinner!" Clover jumped onto her lap as she scooped him up and ran for the stairs.
"But the berry picking?" Clover pouted, rubbing his fluffy belly.
"I'm sorry but I promise we'll go first thing in the morning. Just the two of us."
"I like the sound of that Princess."
[A/N]
This is an AU story where everything leading up to Elena of Avalor has happened. In my story there is no princess in the amulet and Sofia didn't become a protector, sorry! This is a completed story with 3 parts which I will post together!
