Thank you for the reviews! I was so happy to get them, they made me squee. I'll try not to let a lot of time go by before the next chapter. ^ ^

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Sofia let herself into Amber's room, biting her lip as her eyes took in Amber's face. "She looks so peaceful." She whispered. "Like a fairy tale."

James stepped up beside her and touched his twin's cheek. "Well she'd like that at least." He replied quietly. "Just like Sleeping Beauty." He paused. "It's like she's asleep."

"Well she is." Sofia knelt beside the bed, where her mother lay sleeping. "James…I need you to do something for me. We need to carry her up to the tower." James inclined one eyebrow at her, and Sofia flushed a little. "She'd be furious if her true love comes to save her and finds her HERE." She motioned around the bedroom, clothes all over the floor, cosmetics staining nearly every surface.

James raised his other eyebrow. "True." He conceded slowly, stepping closer to the bed. "But the fairies said that true love WOULDN'T save her."

Sofia put her hands on her hips. "I don't believe that for a second." She told him firmly. "True love can save anyone." She paused. "James…please. Just help me with this. It's just…a feeling I have."

James studied her for a long minute before shrugging. "Couldn't hurt I guess. It's more of a plan than we have now." Stooping, he swept Amber into his arms.

"Speak for yourself." Sofia countered, following him through the darkened corridors. It was unnaturally quiet in the castle, somehow seeming even more quiet than it did even in the dead of night. There was a difference in the sleep and they all knew it. She led James through the corridors and up the stairs to the tower guest room. Amber herself had decorated it when she was thirteen and had been positive that a handsome prince (one she HADN'T met before) would come for her there. She had slept in the tower for two years before the need for more room (and a bigger closet) had sent her back to the family wing.

"You have a plan?!" James asked, incredulity in his voice. "How do you have a plan?"

Sofia gave him a look. "Unlike you, I didn't sleep through magic class." She replied dryly, opening the door to the tower bedroom. Though Amber didn't reside there often anymore, the room had been kept immaculate. James laid Amber down on the bed, releasing a long breath. "Thanks." Sofia turned and smiled slightly at him. "Dad is already in bed…but Mom was sleeping next to the bed. James…"

"Yeah, I'm on it." James paused and took his sister's hand. "Sof…do you really think we can do this? You have a plan?"

Sofia smiled at him again, then looked down at Amber's sleeping face. "Yes." She replied quietly. "I think we can." She licked her lips lightly and stood up. "Come on."

Sofia knelt beside the bed of their parents as James brought in Miranda's sleeping form. "You've gotten a lot stronger."

"I think it's my freakish height." James countered, but there was no life in his voice. He laid Miranda down beside Roland, who had been caught while changing out of his party clothing and moved into bed by the fairies. He paused as he looked at his parents. "I've never seen them look…vulnerable before."

Sofia touched her mother's cheek gently before straightening. "It's just what sleeping does to you." She replied hastily, but knew that neither of them believed it. Stepping to the doorway, she took one last look at her sleeping parents before stepping out into the hallway. The sound of the door closing behind them was very…final. "Come on…let's go down to the stables."

James caught her arm when they stepped outside, both shouldering their packs. "Sofia…what's the plan?" He asked quietly. "Where are we going?"

Sofia turned slightly. "To the reflecting pool in the forest."

James tilted his head slightly. "The reflecting pool? Why there?"

Sofia forced a smile. "Do you know anywhere ELSE where we can leave this world?"

"Not really." James admitted. "Are you sure it will let us pass through?"

Sofia shrugged. "No." She opened the door to the stables where they kept the winged stallions. "But I don't have a better idea and wandering around Enchancia isn't going to do us any good." She led the way past the horses that pulled the carriage and toward the ones designated for personal use. She paused at the stall door to one of her oldest friends. Roland had purchased him when Sofia had graduated from Royal Prep as a gift. *Minimus!*

She small winged horse opened one sleepy eye and looked at her. *Sofia?* His voice was groggy but soon sharpened. *Sofia! Are you okay?*

Sofia entered the stall and reached up for the tack hanging on the wall. *Not really.* She admitted quietly. *I need your help.*

James eyed her from the next stall over where he was saddling his own horse, a winged stallion he had named Firebrand. "You can really talk to him?"

Being out of the sleeping palace did a lot of good for Sofia's mood. The air felt less oppressive, the sky just beginning to lighten with the new dawn. "Yes." She replied, her smile easier now. "I've been able to do this since the day you played that trick with the swing."

James flushed a little at the memory. "Yeah…have I said I'm sorry about that?"

Sofia laughed softly. "Many times." She replied gently. "Don't even think about it." She finished putting the saddle on Minimus and took the bridle, leading him out of the stables and into the early morning air. *We need to go to the reflecting pool in the forest as fast as you can.* Mounting the small horse, they took off into the sky.

Sofia loved to fly. When she was in the air on horseback, she felt free. There was something about the wind in her face, the sunlight on her skin…it was beyond compare. *Faster, Minimus!* She cheered, the usual excitement filling her heart and making her pulse race. *Fly!*

Beside her, James was laughing in spite of himself, sometimes pulling ahead or falling behind, but commonly staying beside her. The run rose high over the distant mountains, over the sea far to the west where the floating palace sat in harbor. The forest spread out beneath them, like an ocean all its own, a sea of deep green. It was beautiful. *There!* She pointed down at a clearing a few miles ahead. *It's there!*

*You got it, Sofia!* Minimus led the way, circling slowly as they began to land over the clearing where the reflecting pool was located. They had come on a field trip when Sofia was fifteen. It was a place of high magic, a border where the crossing was easier, the lines blurred. They came to a landing, James sliding down and holding out his arms for her. Sofia gave him a wry smile but slid her hand into his, allowing him to help her dismount.

"Now what?" James asked, releasing her and eyeing the pond.

Sofia laughed in spite of herself and sat on the grass. "You really DID sleep through magic class, didn't you?" She asked, shaking her head. "Honestly, don't you remember ANYTHING about being here?" She opened her pack and drew out a set of sandwiches she had thrown together, pulling out a large book next.

"All I remember from this trip is Hugo trying to push Desmond in." James admitted before eyeing her. "Sof…you're going to carry that book everywhere?"

Sofia shrugged and held out two sandwiches. "Mr. Cedric would kill me if I did." She replied, taking a bite out of the remaining sandwich. "I'll send it back with Minimus and Firebrand." Turning a few pages, she began to read.

James settled down beside her, hungrily eating his own sandwiches. It seemed like AGES since he had eaten at the party. Almost another LIFETIME ago. "Ooh…these are good."

Sofia looked up from the book, an amused light in her blue eyes. "Thanks but coming from someone who would eat grass, it's not much of a compliment."

"Hey!" James protested, digging around in his own pack for the apples he had snagged on the way out. "I only ate grass once and on a bet."

"Right." Sofia agreed, flipping another page. A quiet hour passed before Sofia closed the book thoughtfully. She eyed the pool for a long minute before standing. "It looks like we don't go anywhere until tonight, so you'd better make yourself comf…" She turned toward James and finished her thought with some amusement. "…comfortable." He lay in the shade of a tree, arms crossed behind his head, eyes closed in sleep.

"Right." Sofia murmured, shaking her head and walking instead over to the quietly grazing horses. *Minimus.*

The violet horse raised his head at Sofia's call and smiled at her. *Sofia! Will you tell me what's going on now?*

Sofia paused. *Amber is very sick and we're trying to help her. Thank you for bringing us here.* She paused again. *I need you and Firebrand to go back though.* She tucked the book into Minimus' saddle bag.

Minimus frowned. *Without you? How will you get back?*

Sofia hesitated. *I don't know yet.*She admitted. *But you can't stay here. I don't know if this is the way I'll come back.* Or IF she would come back.

The horse took a few uneasy steps, eyes on her. *I don't like this, Sofia.*

Sofia hugged his neck, rubbing his flank gently. *Neither do I.* She told him quietly. *But it must be done.* She paused as she studied him. No food…not for a while anyway. Pulling her quill and piece of paper out of her bag, she quickly wrote a note and tucked it into the bag as well. *I need you to go to Royal Prep first. You must deliver this note to Headmistress Flora or any of her sisters.*

Minimus hesitated for a minute before bowing his head in acquiescence. *Okay…* He paused. *Sofia…I'll miss you.*

Sofia hugged him tight again, burying her face against his neck. *I'll miss you too.* She whispered. *But I know you can do this. You MUST find Flora. It's important.*

Minimus took a step away from her and toward Firebrand. *You can count on us, Sofia.* He promised before wheeling into the sky. Sofia watched them go until they were little more than specks, watched until they had vanished entirely into the blue overhead. She knew that he would deliver the message and mentally wished him well. If it all worked out, he wouldn't have TIME to miss her…he would be asleep too. It wouldn't do for some animals, especially pets, to continue to be awake. They would hunger, thirst, worry over their special humans. It would be better if every domesticated animal went to sleep.

Settling down beside James again, she watched the afternoon sun give way to early evening. James had neither stirred nor moved at all since he had fallen asleep and a terrible fear had begun to creep up on Sofia. She had been awake for over 24 hours now, had caught herself dozing more than once and had forced herself to wake up again. What if…what if the witch had gotten to James while she had dozed off? Her heart began to hammer, making her head throb as the idea took on more weight, seeming more real with every minute that he did not stir. "James!" She shook his shoulder hard. "JAMES!"

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James came awake with a sharp gasp, his eyes flying open. There were no familiar surroundings…this was not his room. Entirely disoriented, he sat up quickly and realized that Sofia was sitting next to him…and she was crying. "Sofia?" The groggy feeling left him as adrenaline took its place. "Sofia! What's wrong?" To his surprise, she threw her arms around his neck and clung, beginning to sob. Stunned, worried and totally out of his league, James wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He could count the number of times that he had seen Sofia cry on one hand. When Sofia cried…she chose to do so in private. "Sofia…what's wrong?"

She drew away slowly. "You're alive." She whispered. "I…I thought…the witch had gotten to you…while I was asleep."

James took in first the clearing. The horses were gone. His eyes drank in Sofia's white face. She was too pale, her blue eyes watery with tears, made larger than usual with the dark smudges beneath them. She was shaking, her usual good humor and competence gone. "Sof…have you slept at ALL?" He asked, appalled by the thought. How long had she been awake?

Sofia shook her head. "No…well…maybe a little…but I couldn't. I had to keep watch." She stammered.

James cringed at her words. Here they were out in the woods, possibly with an insane witch following them, and she had been the one to take first watch when she was entirely exhausted. Feeling as if he had betrayed every lesson that had been drilled into his mind by the good fairies on how to be a good prince, he shook his head. "Sof…you should have woke me up."

Sofia looked away. "Why?" she countered. "You'd been up just as late as me and we didn't have to leave for a while. No harm done."

Right. No harm done…and that was why she had fallen apart. "What time do we need to go through?" James asked quietly.

Sofia glanced at the sky. "When the full moon rises to the center of the pond." She replied quietly. "The moon won't even rise until two hours after sundown…so maybe…midnight?"

James eyed the sky. The shadows had lengthened and he couldn't see any more of the sun…but the sky was still orange, the clouds to the west pink above the trees. "Sofia, go to sleep." He ordered. "I can keep watch."

"But…" Sofia started.

James put a hand over her mouth. "Sof, you're going to fall down if you don't sleep. You can't help Amber this way, you can't help ANYONE this way."

Sofia's eyelids grew heavy as he pulled her slowly down until she was lying on the grass, her head in his lap. "You'll wake me if there's trouble?"

"Right away." He promised. "Sleep, Sof." He straightened his legs, but otherwise did not move, his eyes on the girl's sleeping face. "Sofia." He whispered, releasing a long, troubled breath.

The realization that he loved her had not bothered James much. He had been twelve and like most boys that age, had begun to realize that the girls he had grown up with were beginning to change into women. The girl everyone was thinking about, however, had been Hildegard. Though she always had been one of the most popular and richest of the girls, they would have focused on ANYONE. Hildegard had just been the one who had begun developing first.

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They jostled each other as Professor Popov motioned to the small group of musicians. They had all easily moved from the waltz to the large dances that the various courts used. James elbowed Hugo in the side, stepping slightly ahead of him to be the first one to step up to Princess Hildegard. "Princess…" He swept her his best bow. "…may I be your partner?"

Amber shot him a knowing, disgusted look. She had always been perceptive and neither she nor Clio had missed the reason WHY there was suddenly even MORE interest in Hildegard. He could see that it irritated his sister, but what did he care? He had won and gotten to her first, Amber could have her pick of the princes. Hildegard eyed him for a moment before sliding her gloved hand into James'. "Very well."

Content, James took his place in the dance, his hands flushed with hers, body only a few inches apart. Having taken part in a rousing discussion a few days earlier, he took the opportunity to breathe in her scent. His nose wrinkled slightly. What was Desmond talking about? The scent of flowers was cloying and he regretted it almost immediately. Inwardly shrugging, he began the steps of the dance. "Are you going to Prince Zandar's party?" Hildegard demanded as they swept together, parted and then joined again.

"Course." James replied lightly. "Isn't everyone?"

Hildegard sighed, as is his question bothered her. "Yes…unfortunately."

James frowned slightly at her words. "Unfortunately? Why unfortunately?"

Hildegard smiled slyly, as if she was conveying a particularly good piece of gossip. "You don't think Desmond has gotten a bit…BORING lately?" She asked quietly, her voice haughty. Their hands met. "Really…when will he start growing up? Sometimes it's like he's not even a BOY when he spends all his time reading."

James' frown deepened as he made a turn in the dance. "James?" Briefly switching partners, Sofia's hand met his. "What's wrong?"

James shrugged a little, instantly feeling better by the smile on Sofia's face. "Nothing. Just Hildegard being Hildegard." Sofia smiled sympathetically…and stepped on his toe. Yelping, he backed off and then started laughing.

Sofia's face had gone red, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh, James!" She gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

James though, was delighted. He wouldn't have to pair again with Hildegard and really…Sofia was such a klutz sometimes. "It's okay, Sof." He replied, laughing at her expression. "I think dancing is the one thing you can't do though."

"Probably because she wasn't born to it." James spun around, facing the group of young teenagers who had begun milling around. Nobody met his eyes, nobody seemed to notice or even care.

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To this day, James still wasn't sure who had said it. Nobody had ever expressed any comments about Sofia's less-than-royal parentage afterward, but James suspected that everyone remembered it…especially the princes that were now looking for suitable brides. The comment though, had sparked something inside of James and he had found himself thinking about it more and more throughout that year. Sofia…wasn't his sister.

Amber was his sister, and not just by blood. Amber was the kind of girl that James only tolerated BECAUSE she was his twin. She was snooty and bossy, vain, selfish, silly…but those were all things that James loved about her. Things he tolerated and even cherished about a loved one though…did NOT extend to a romantic partner. Hildegard was out. Clio was out.

Sofia though…James had begun to wonder if he had EVER really thought of her as his sister. He had no problem with the idea of Miranda as his mother…but Sofia as his sister…he suddenly doubted that he had EVER seen her that way. She was his best friend (not that he told Zandar that). She was almost always up for an adventure, and usually could think of fun things to do that had never even OCCURRED to him when things got boring. She had taught him to cook and even how to make a shoe (something he had presented to Amber during a disastrous birthday). He had taught her how to race and how to fence. She wasn't one of the boys despite participating in their sports…she was just Sofia. He loved being around her. He…loved her.

The realization, made somewhere after midnight on a spring evening, had not troubled his twelve-year old mind much. Yes, he realized that it would probably be frowned upon…but he had had feelings for Hildegard (Amber called it a "crush") and certainly THOSE had gone away. These would too.

They hadn't. Instead, as Sofia and James had gotten older, they had only grown stronger. He began to notice small things…like the way she smelled…like honeysuckle, fresh and bright instead of the cloying, heavy fragrances preferred by Amber and her friends. He noticed the way she tilted her head when she read or the slight smile that was nearly always on her face, giving her a contented air. He had even noticed that the childhood habit of talking to animals as if they could talk back hadn't gone away. Unlike Amber, who sometimes lost patience with Sofia over it, James had only found it cute.

Cute. He was screwed and he knew it, but still, it hadn't bothered James much. Sure, he was pretty sure it would hurt when some young man swept Sofia off of her feet (and he would personally pound anyone who hurt her into the ground), but people could fall in love more than once and that knowledge had gotten him through most of his teenage years. Miranda had met and loved two men. His father and met and loved two women. Amber met and fell in love every ten seconds. It would happen for him and Sofia too.

It…hadn't. Instead of charming him, the princesses from other lands who hadn't attended Royal Prep, the nobility who weren't royal but came from good families…they bored and irritated him. He found himself inadvertently comparing them to Sofia…and always finding them wanting.

It was the year before that had convinced him that he was damned. Not only had it NOT gone away, but his father had started asking questions (first casually and then searchingly) about whether a certain young woman had caught his eye. While Roland was pleased that he did not have to deal with some paternity issues (Hugo had created QUITE a storm a year before with two girls from his home village), he was beginning to grow concerned by the fact that NOBODY had seemed to interest him. They had even engaged (James flushed now just thinking about it) in a really, REALLY awkward conversation about whether a PRINCE had been the one to catch James' eye.

James hadn't really known what to say. He had fallen in love with Sofia at first sight…not unlike his father for Miranda. He had fallen in love with her before he even knew what love WAS. Still…he couldn't exactly tell his father that, he couldn't even assuage his father's fears and tell him that he was in love with someone. He had kept his silence but it had changed him. He had been more careful to watch what he said, to spend time with other girls and to spend less time with Sofia. His parents were watching. Amber was watching. For all he knew, SOFIA was watching. He couldn't afford to give himself away. The sudden lack of time spent with Sofia had made him sober up a little. He had grown less carefree and light over the last year.

James only felt himself come back when he was with Sofia. His eyes traced the lines of her face, over the clarity of her skin, the soft lips and lashes lying gently on her cheek. His hand briefly touched her braid, soft and silky. He closed his eyes for a moment and then let his hand fall down to his side. He was truly damned.