The Tale of the Golden Spokes

Summary: Visiting from Rudistan, Greylock tells Sofia of a magical mountain top in a mysterious country called Okahʋshi (Moon Water). The peak is said to hold half of the world's mystical forces, so naturally Sofia wishes to explore said mountain and witness its mysterious phenomenon that occurs once every hundred years: the Golden Spokes.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Sofia the First." The terms "oka" meaning "water" and "hʋshi" meaning moon/sun come from the Choctaw language, which I speak very little of. ;)

A/N: Here's the second chapter to the story. Keep an eye out for a surprise story within the next few days.

*Chapter 2: The Golden Spokes*

The previous night had been spent discussing the travel plans and how best to access the unnamed mountain at Okahʋshi. When they finally had a strategy in order, they'd gotten plenty of rest to be ready for their journey.

"How far is it to Okahʋshi?" Sofia asked her temporary guardians as they rode off in the flying coach.

"About an hour or so," Greylock responded while twirling his wand. "We'll be there before you know it, Princess."

Cedric pondered quietly to himself before finally speaking again. "I wonder if, like us, Sofia will earn a magic enhancement as well."

"Me?" the princess asked curiously.

"Well, yes… Your amulet, after all, does have magical properties. I wouldn't be surprised if you earned something of a magical upgrade."

"I see it has changed colors actually," Greylock mentioned with a nod to her now-pink amulet. "What exactly happened to it?"

Sofia giggled. "It's a long story…"

A little while later, the coachman lowered the flying coach and helped each occupant out before locating an appropriate place to await their return.

"Where do we start?" Sofia asked as she looked around in awe. The trees here were pastel colors instead of green or autumn shades. The clouds looked like creampuffs. The ground was a rich brown. And in the distance was a majestic waterfall, shades of blue and teal within the water. It was quite a sight to take in.

"Probably the large mountain over there," Cedric replied somewhat sarcastically as he pointed toward the large landform ahead of them.

"Well done, Cedric!" Greylock cheered as he clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, startling him. "Onward we go to—uh, Unnamed Mountain!"

"Is there a reason the mountain doesn't have a name?" the princess asked as they marched onward.

"From what I recall, the inhabitants considered it bad luck to name the place where such grand displays of power could be found," the brown-haired sorcerer responded. "They probably believed that if they were to name the mountain, the magic would either vanish or become inept."

Cedric scoffed. "That would be our luck too. Sofia, do not, under any circumstances, attempt to name this mountain."

She laughed at his insistency and nodded. "Anything you say, Mr. Cedric."

The journey up the mountain was somewhat challenging. A few surprise boulders had nearly tripped the trio a couple of times, but they managed to stay alert and on their feet pretty well. Sofia had admired several swaying flowers (all taller than each of them) and had even stopped to speak to a few squirrels, to the sorcerers' amusement and slight confusion, of course.

"The best way to get to the top is this way," Sofia told her friends as she pointed to the right. They'd reached a fork in the pathway and had to determine how to reach their destination.

"And who told you that?" Cedric asked with a bemused smile. "The squirrels?"

"Yes, actually," she mumbled under her breath before giggling. "Just trust me, Mr. Cedric. Have I ever steered you wrong before?" She held up one hand with a grin when he began to respond. "Don't answer that." She laughed and headed down her suggested path.

Greylock smirked. "The princess sure has you figured out, eh, Cedric?"

"That's what happens when we spend so much time together, I suppose. She knows me better than anyone else." He smiled and folded his arms while they kept walking, following the princess.

"Even better than yourself," the other sorcerer added with a chuckle.

"Agreed…"

Once they'd reached the peak of the unnamed mountain, the three friends found a peculiar-looking stone nearly directly in the center.

Sofia observed the stone and tilted her head. "What's this, Mr. Greylock?"

The brown-haired man adjusted his monocle and gasped. "I believe this is it… This has to be the source that will gather and reflect the magic."

"This is where the golden orb will appear?" the girl clarified with wide blue eyes.

"Yes, it's the resting place of the Golden Spokes."

Cedric frowned as he gave the stone a critical look. "That's it?"

"Cedric," Greylock scolded with a disapproving stare, "do not insult the rock. It may look plain and ordinary, but it is where our Golden Spokes will appear, so apologize."

The other sorcerer gave his friend a dubious stare. "…To the rock?"

"Come now. We haven't got all night."

Cedric groaned and rolled his eyes. "Rock, I apologize for my careless words. However could I have been so reckless with my commentary? Please do forgive me." He glared at the snickering sorcerer. "There. Happy?"

Sofia giggled. "Mr. Cedric, I've heard more sincere apologies from James when he stole Amber's tiaras."

"Oh, I'm quite sure he was sincere in his apologies, Sofia. Princess Amber is scary when her tiaras have been confiscated." He chuckled when she giggled harder.

They talked a while longer until evening fell and the sky grew darker. Shades of indigo and violet streaked across the sky while stars twinkled into view. Soon enough, a strange yet captivating golden glow began descending from the clouds.

"Is this it?" Sofia asked excitedly as she sat between the two sorcerers.

"I believe so," Greylock whispered as he wielded his wand in anticipation. "Wands ready?"

The other two nodded and held up their own wands.

The golden glow extended faster and faster, illuminating the mountain and all of Okahʋshi as it finally struck the rock, forming a golden orb and a reflected arch of what could only be described as…

"The Golden Spokes," Sofia breathed in awe. "Wow…"

A stretch of iridescent magic erupted from the spokes and leapt from the mountain, showering the entire area with a magical golden haze. A second round stretch forward and immersed itself into the three magic wielders' wands.

Greylock smiled brightly. "Oh, this is wonderful!"

Cedric observed his wand once the Golden Spokes died down, a simple golden orb with glittering magic remaining. He tilted his head curiously. "I don't…feel any more powerful."

"Maybe you should be a bit more confident than that, Mr. Cedric," Sofia told him helpfully. "Come here." She stood up and offered her hand to him, making him smile and accept her offer as he also stood. "Try a challenging spell."

The dark-haired sorcerer nodded and aimed his wand ahead of him before speaking his spell clearly: "Cookieossity!"

Greylock blinked in surprise when a plate of cookies appeared before them on the ground. He then slowly turned his head toward Cedric and cleared this throat. "Eh, um, Cedric… I like cookies as much as anyone else, but…exactly what part of 'Cookieossity' is a hard spell?"

"…I panicked, okay? It's the first spell that came to mind!"

Sofia grinned and pointed at the ground. "Never mind that, Mr. Cedric. Look!"

The plate of cookies had grown into a much larger version of itself, and the scent wafting from the delectable treats was fantastic. They smelled like sugar and happiness.

Greylock chuckled. "Well… Mum did always say that you can't go wrong with a large plate of cookies."

Cedric raised an eyebrow at the other man. "Your mum sure has some strange sayings, Greylock…"

While snacking, the trio tried out their magic and discovered that they had in fact gotten stronger. The magic was more precise and effective than before, and they were almost sure that they'd see more improvements as time passed. Meanwhile, it was growing late, and the sorcerers decided that perhaps it was time to return their young charge to her family.

"Hey, do you think we could try teleportation?" she asked excitedly.

"No," Cedric responded firmly while taking her wand from her. "One minor mistake or misspeak, and you could be lost forever. I'm not about to endure the punishment that would follow. We'll take the flying coach home the same way we arrived."

"Okay…but you'll teach me teleportation someday, right, Mr. Cedric?"

Greylock laughed and shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not as easy as you'd like to hope it is, Princess. Otherwise, I'd be popping in all the time simply to bug old Ceddy-kins here."

Cedric shot a glare at Greylock. "The nickname is overkill, Greylock."

"Okay, you two," Sofia giggled before offering them each a large cookie to settle their arguments. "Let's go home."

"I wonder how King Roland is fairing with King Magnus," Cedric mentioned as he broke off part of his cookie.

Greylock snickered.

Back at the castle…

Roland looked rather surprised as he stared at a large statue that Magnus had just revealed to him, the sheet that had been covering it lying on the ground. "It's, uh…magnificent, Magnus…" He laughed uncertainly as the other king guffawed heartily. "Just one question… Why an ostrich?"

"The ostrich is a misunderstood bird," Magnus explained with a proud look on his face. "It needs greater representation. And you'll never guess what my next statue will be of!"

"I'm sure I won't," he replied half-heartedly with a wary chuckle.

"Flamingos! I mean, come on, Roland. Those fancy birds stand on one leg! How can you not have a statue of that?!" He laughed uproariously and began walking forward to inspect his statue a little better.

Roland sighed with a shake of his head. "This man seriously needs a new hobby…"

The end