Adventures in Magic
Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First or any of the characters/locations affiliated with it. The original characters introduced in various chapters belong to me.
A/N: Yay! Another update! Lol. Sorry the updates have been a bit slower. Teaching and prep have been kind of time-consuming. But the weekend is here, so let the writing begin! All right, for those of you waiting to see Cedric and Chrysta clash again (hence the chapter title), this is for you. 😉 What could they possibly argue about now? You'll see! ;D Also, sorry to disappoint, but for those asking if I could make one-shot stories for situations, I'm exclusively writing AIM for the next several weeks. There have been some rather sweet, fun, and cute stories that a few other authors (Royal Detective, theblindwriter95, and NerdsinaTree, to name a few) have posted though. 😊
Chapter 5
Clash of the Mentors
Summary: Sofia is uncertain how to react when her two mentors Cedric and Chrysta argue over the princess's training and what's best for her.
"Sofia, wake up." Cedric frowned as he stood beside the girl's bed, one hand gently placed on her shoulder as he attempted to urge her into alertness. "Come on, it's time to get up."
Sofia mumbled incoherently before blinking her eyes open, staring at her friend for a few moments, not quite processing what was happening. She frowned thoughtfully before finally making a connection. "Mr. Cedric?"
He chuckled, sitting down next to her as she sat up. "You were sleeping rather heavily. From what I could tell, you didn't move all night. Are you all right?"
She shrugged before yawning. "I guess I'm just tired. I think everything finally caught up with me, and we haven't even been on our journey that long."
"Believe me, if we didn't have a schedule to keep, I would have let you sleep much longer." He noted the light evidence of dark circles beginning to form under her eyes and frowned. "Something tells me you could use it."
The princess gave him an appreciative smile before standing, only to find herself nearly tripping over her own feet. She laughed as Cedric instantly reached out and grasped her arms, preventing her from falling. "Sorry, Mr. Cedric. I guess I'm still not fully awake. I'm…going to go get cleaned up, and then we can finish packing and head out."
"All right." He eyed her carefully as she gathered her new set of clothing for the day and left for the washroom. "Hmm."
Once both friends were dressed and ready for the day, and after they'd each packed all of their luggage and placed it in the AutoCoach, they returned to Chrysta's house to say goodbye for now.
"So, where are you heading next?" Chrysta wondered as she sat on the arm of one of her chairs, her arms folded and legs crossed as she watched them.
"It's a bit of a secret, actually," Cedric insisted, smiling mysteriously toward his apprentice, who blinked at him. "I have something in mind for you, my dear, but you'll have to wait and see what it is."
She giggled. "You know, I used to like surprises… But after the last couple of years, I'm a little wary of them now."
"Trust me, you will like this one."
"And," the Crystal Fairy added with a grin, "when you finish this little adventure of yours, I have talked to Orion and Vega about adding some new defense training for you, Sofia. And I will officially be your trainer again!"
Cedric frowned.
"Of course, you may get a little roughed up, but don't worry—I'll go easy on you at first."
Sofia smiled uncertainly. "So… New training? On top of school and Ever Realm missions?"
"That's getting a bit ridiculous, wouldn't you say?" Cedric asked the Mystic Isles Protector pointedly. "The poor girl could barely stand on her own this morning from sheer exhaustion, especially after having just completed one of your missions. Do you really think adding more training is going to make things better for her?"
"Look, Cedric," Chrysta drawled, floating up to be eye-to-eye with him. "Sofia's a big girl. She can handle more than you think she can."
"I'm not denying that," he countered, his hands resting on his hips as his apprentice stood off to the side and watched their exchange. "I'm saying that you're putting a great deal of pressure on her, and I urge you to pull back a bit."
"What are you even talking about?" Chrysta rolled her eyes. "She's a Protector—"
"And a princess, and a student, and a Buttercup, and a Story Keeper, and my apprentice—"
"Then maybe she needs to trade in her apprenticeship and just focus exclusively on her Protector duties." She waved one hand dismissively. "You've had her to yourself for years, Cedric. She's not that same little kid who was wowed by magic anymore. She's growing up. She has actual responsibilities now, and she's good at what she does. Magic is nice and everything, but it can only get you so far."
"And what of all the 'magical' items you've given her?" he challenged.
"Those help with her missions, of course. There's a difference between magical items to aid in a quest and knowing the spell for perfect marshmallows!"
Sofia blinked in surprise, noting that both her mentor and her trainer looked rather irritated at this point. She wasn't sure why they were suddenly arguing out of the blue, but the fact that it was solely about her was unnerving. "Guys…"
"You are a piece of work; do you know that?" Cedric glared at the Crystal Fairy. "I realize that Sofia has a lot of responsibilities, and I know quite well that she's capable of handling them, but there is such a thing as excessiveness, and you're walking a very thin line, Chrysta."
"Mr. Cedric, I—"
"Speaking of walking a thin line," Chrysta interjected, not hearing Sofia's pleading tone, "let's talk about some of the dumb things you've done that may be considered a bit suspicious. We originally took that raven of yours and locked him up here, where he'd be less likely to cause trouble, after his escapades with Prisma and Vor, of all people. And what did you do? You insisted he stay in the Enchancian castle with you, because you didn't want to face reality: that raven is bad news, and he's not a good bird. You've put your entire kingdom in danger, allowing him to live there with you, despite whatever 'good intentions' you may have had."
"What I opted to do as far as handling Wormwood's actions is my business, not yours." He glowered at the hovering Protector. "And I've taken precautions to keep the kingdom and the royal family safe. I would certainly never endanger them, especially Sofia."
Chrysta laughed. "Now that's a lie! I heard all about your little—"
"Enough!"
Cedric and Chrysta instantly grew silent, turning to see that the teenager was standing a small distance away, her arms folded and her eyes narrowed at them, her lips in a tight line. She clearly was agitated and upset, and after recounting their back-and-forth argument, they knew very well why that was.
"I know you both want what's best for me," she began calmly, though she felt anything but calm at the moment, "but you have got to stop arguing. I know you guys don't and probably never will see eye to eye, but if you can't realize anything else, then realize that when you argue like that, all you do is add more stress for me. I thought you cared about me."
"We do, Sofia," Chrysta insisted, sighing as Cedric nodded quietly. "We just have very different ways of caring for you."
"Look, I know I take on a lot. That was my own decision." She glanced toward Cedric, who looked away. She then frowned. "I can handle things, really. I know I need to be careful, and I try my best to be. Yeah, I'm tired a lot, but it comes with the territory…" She then looked back at Chrysta. "Chrysta, when Mr. Cedric and I finish this ambassador trip, I'll come to you for my defensive training. But just remember that he is my mentor, and I'm also going to have things to do with him."
Cedric turned toward his friend curiously.
"I enjoy magic more than anything, and Mr. Cedric has helped me become really good at it."
He chuckled softly. "Hardly."
"Really," she corrected, smiling gently. "I don't think I ever told you this, but when I was a little girl, I even dreamed of being a sorceress one day."
The sorcerer's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Well, she could just add that to her list," Chrysta joked, rolling her eyes. "You'll be the most 'hyphenated' Protector we've ever had. Actually, you already are." She laughed.
Sofia smiled in relief, realizing that both of her friends now seemed to have calmed down a bit. "Yeah, well, that doesn't surprise me at all."
Cedric shook his head. "Me neither." He turned to Chrysta and cleared his throat. "Chrysta, although you and I may have very different perspectives on Sofia's training and abilities, I think we agree on one thing: we both care for her and want her safe. So, I'm entrusting her safety to you when you two do begin training again." He smiled a bit when he felt Sofia grasp his hand. He glanced toward the princess. "She… She means a great deal to me."
Sofia giggled.
"I know," Chrysta responded with a nod. "She means a lot to me too. To all of us Protectors, really. She's sort of like the kid of the family. We'll take good care of her—I'll take good care of her."
The sorcerer nodded appreciatively. "Thank you."
Not much later, the two Enchancians bid Chrysta farewell and loaded up in the AutoCoach, departing for their next destination. While in transit yet again, Sofia glanced down at her hands, her fingers gently tracing her palms as a curious frown appeared on her face. She couldn't explain it, but she felt some sort of strange sensation, like her hands were burning. It was sort of uncomfortable but not painful. It was just…
"Sofia?" Cedric asked softly. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she replied simply, clasping her hands into her lap. She decided to change the subject, so as not to worry her friend. Smiling, she told him, "I'm glad you and Chrysta have sort of made up. I know she's not exactly the easiest person to get along with, but…"
"Honestly, neither am I," he willingly admitted. "I'm not a people person."
"No," she responded playfully, giggling as he rolled his eyes. "Never would have guessed!"
"Ha-ha, cute." Withdrawing his wand, he summoned the agenda as Sofia leaned against his shoulder, yawning. "Now, then… Our next destination should take about three hours."
"And are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked, prying him for information that he'd already denied her.
"I already told you it's a secret, but if it helps, here's a hint." He winked at her as she sat up, tilting her head. "It's magic."
Sofia's face fell into an expression of annoyance as she scoffed. "Yeah, that's a big help, Mr. Cedric." She grinned as he chuckled. "Fine. I guess I'll just have to be surprised then."
He nodded, smirking. "Oh, you'll be surprised, all right."
To be continued…
