Chapter 4: The Debut Ball
Now it was the moment Lydia and Sofia expected and feared the most at Royal Prep: the dance lesson. "Don't worry." James told his stepsisters. "It's like Dad told you. One lesson from Professor Popov is all you need."
"Thanks, James." Sofia replied while Lydia nodded. Amber then approached them with two extra pairs of shoes and suggested Lydia and Sofia would do better using those instead of the regular school shoes.
"Thanks, Amber." Sofia said. She was oblivious to Amber's real intentions. Lydia was a completely different case. She pointed her wand at the shoes and shouted. "Specialis Revelio!" The shoes then started moving on their own, drawing the attention of everyone inside dance class. "What's the meaning of this?" Professor Popov demanded.
"Amber gave us tricky shoes." Lydia explained and Professor Popov turned his attention towards the accused. "Is this true, Princess Amber?" He sternly asked.
"I must have brought Cedric's shoes by mistake." She lied. Lydia and Sofia didn't believe her.
"Princess Amber, there are reasons every student is required to wear school shoes for dance lessons and mishaps like that are some of them." Professor Popov explained. "I'm terribly sorry but I'm afraid I'll have to take this to the Headmistresses after classes. I'd do it right now but I'm aware your sisters need this lesson."
One dance class later
"Congratulations, Princesses!" Professor Popov exclaimed. "Princess Lydia and Princess Sofia, are you both sure you never had royal dance lessons before?"
"Well, James might have given me some hints, Professor." Sofia timidly replied.
"Yes, Prince James." Professor Popov smiled. "He was one of my best students. Too bad Princess Amber couldn't be happy for the both of you." He then made good on his word and took Amber to the Headmistresses.
"Oh, my!" Headmistress Fauna exclaimed. "Giving your sisters tricky shoes? What were you thinking?"
Amber was so ashamed she wouldn't bother correcting the Headmistresses about Sofia and Lydia being her stepsisters. "I, I, I wanted to show them they don't belong among royalty."
"Princess Amber!" Headmistress Flora was angry. "Have you forgotten our motto?"
"Rule over others as you'd have them rule over you." Amber recited.
"Do you think your actions reflect our motto?" Headmistress Merryweather asked.
"No." Amber answered and then lowered her head in shame.
The Headmistresses discussed it among themselves and decided to give Amber a week's worth of suspension.
After classes were over that day, Sofia, Lydia and their stepsiblings went back home, where Amber would again face consequences of her actions. "Amber, I am very disappointed with you." King Roland the Second sternly said. "I asked you and James to help your new sisters to adapt to their new life and that's how you behave? I seriously thought about not allowing you to attend their debut ball."
"What?" Amber asked in shock. The idea of not being allowed into a royal ball was unimaginable to her. Especially at her own home.
"However, I will allow you one last chance." He said. "You'll be allowed to attend."
Amber sighed in relief until her father dropped an ultimatum. "If you do anything to sabotage your sisters' debut ball, then your title as Princess of Enchancia will be suspended until you're no longer suspended from Royal Prep and you'll have to work here as a servant until then. Perhaps that'll teach you to have some sort of respect for those of humble origins. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Father." Amber solemnly replied while imagining herself dressed in Cinderella-like rags while serving food to her stepfamily. After that, he allowed his children to leave the throne room for their own chambers to get ready for the ball.
"James, do you really think your Dad will keep good on his threat?" Sofia asked her stepbrother. No matter how mad she was at Amber, she wasn't sure if it was to that point.
"He's your Dad now too, Sof, and I think so." James answered while still surprised at his Dad's threats. "He always taught me a King must not make threats unless he's able and willing to fulfill them."
"But, can he really suspend someone's nobility like that?" Sofia asked.
Meanwhile, Queen Miranda had just asked her husband a similar question. "As the ruling monarch of Enchancia, I can suspend anyone's Enchancian nobility as punishment for crimes against other nobles, which includes sabotaging other nobles' preparations for being formally introduced." He explained. "Also, as the head of a noble family, in this case the Royal House of Milledtion, I can suspend any privileges members of my family have if they violate my rules. I ordered her and James to help Sofia and Lydia to adjust to Royal Life and Amber interferes with their lessons. I could be lenient for pranks during recess or any time the kids weren't attending official duties but she went too far."
Meanwhile, at Sofia's room, she's just told her friend Clover the Bunny about her day. She'd never forget the day she met Clover and his friends. The morning after the Amulet of Avalor blessed her with the ability to understand animals, she met Clover and his three friends (two birds named Robin and Mia and a squirrel named Whatnaught) and learned the main reason animals help Princesses was the hope they'd feed them in return. She found it a reasonable request. "So, that brat will be demoted if she ruins your ball?" Clover asked with a malicious smile. "Serves her right for never feeding us."
"Clover!" Mia scolded him.
"What?" He asked. "You also stopped helping her, remember?"
"But I don't badbeak her in front of any of her siblings." She replied.
"Amber doesn't think of Lydia and Sofia as her sisters anyway." He commented.
"You're right, Clover!" Sofia replied with a frown. "If she won't see me as a sister, I'll just see her as someone I have to live with."
Knowing the tricky shoes came from Cedric, King Roland decided to question the sorcerer about that. "What do you have to say in your defense, Cedric?" He demanded.
"S-she threatened me, Your Majesty!" Cedric pleaded. "She threatened to use her Royal influence against me."
"From now on, you'll no longer give her anything magical unless you have my previous approval or it's an emergency." King Roland the Second replied. "Consider this a Royal Command!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Cedric said and the King left the workshop in satisfaction. "Wormy, it'll be the last time I allow that royal fool to talk to me like that."
Hours later, the ball started. "Announcing Princess Lydia and Princess Sofia of Enchancia!" Baileywick announced while Amber was forcing herself to hide the contempt she felt for her stepsisters. King Roland the Second took both his stepdaughters to dance with at the same time. Meanwhile, Prince James asked his stepmother for a dance.
Princess Amber didn't have much time to feel alone before a cloud of smoke appeared next to the stairs, revealing Cedric. "Cedric, what do you think you're doing?" The King asked in surprise.
"Your Majesty, I just thought this occasion deserved some special words from me." Cedric explained with a malicious smile.
"Which words?" King Roland the Second asked and then Cedric started casting a spell. Recognizing it, Lydia used a protection spell to keep her family from being affected. "What was that?" The King asked in confusion.
"Look around, Dad." Lydia replied while surprised at herself for calling her stepfather 'Dad'. Roland then noticed all guests, guards and servants were falling asleep. "Cedric used a sleeping spell on everyone here and I used another spell to protect us."
"That's right, Lydia." Cedric replied. "And I won't wake them up unless your sister gives me the Amulet of Avalor."
"I can wake them up myself, scoundrel." Lydia replied and then started chanting the counter-spell until Cedric pointed his wand at a guest. "One move and you'll lose your guests, Sorceress-Princess."
The Royal Family was now afraid they had no choice but give in to Cedric's demands. "Drop your wand, Lydia!" He ordered. "You do the same with your sword, Roland." Both of them complied. "Good. Now, Sofia, bring me the Amulet while the others stay where they are."
When Sofia approached Cedric, neither of them expected what happened. The amulet started glowing and then a woman in royal regalia materialized next to them. "M-Mother?" Amber asked in shock. Cedric was so stunned he didn't prepare himself for the newcomer's disarming spell. Thinking fast, Lydia grabbed her wand and immobilized Cedric.
The King was too shocked at seeing his deceased wife back among the living. "H-How is that possible?"
"Dad, don't you remember what Lydia explained about Princesses from the past?" Amber asked as if she'd thought about that from the beginning. Everybody understood the meaning of her question. Roland's first wife then approached his current one. "Miranda, I'm glad James and Amber have you now."
"But we don't need a new mother anymore!" Amber exclaimed. "You're back."
"I no longer belong among the living, Amber." Her mother explained. "The Amulet of Avalor only brings past princesses back temporarily and when we're needed."
"You speak as if the Amulet had its own will." Amber commented.
"In a way, it has." She said and then turned her attention to James. "James, my baby boy! You're growing up. Someday, you'll make a woman a very happy queen." She then talked to Lydia. "Please wait until I leave before you cancel Cedric's sleeping spell." She then talked to Roland. "Please keep it secret about the Amulet. Your current family doesn't need that attention. Goodbye." She then disappeared.
Lydia then restored everyone. "Guards, arrest Cedric for treason!" The King commanded.
Please review.