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: I have been so excited to write this chapter! Dante is one of my favorite OCs, so I'm anxious for you all to see what's gone on with him in the last two-plus years. :D Also, just a heads up: all the chapters up through chapter 13 have been or will be fairly lighthearted and fun. By the time chapter 14 comes into play, the big plot point begins, and things will slowly start taking a more serious and even sort of darker turn. You'll see what I mean. 😉 By the way, in this chapter, Sofia has a rather clueless moment. Forgive the girl. She's been away from Enchancia too long. Lol! (Side note: The name Issy came from watching BGT with the little girl magician Issy Simpson. I thought that was rather appropriate. Cute kid who likes magic? It's almost perfect!)
Note: Upon the posting of this chapter, I've officially surpassed the one million words mark on this site! 😊 Yay!
Chapter 9
Namile's Calling My Name
Summary: The Enchancian duo visit the Kingdom of Namile next, where they meet up with Dante the Delightful, Princess Seraphina, and a surprising new addition to their family.
Sofia and Cedric were currently in the AutoCoach, on their way to the next stop: Namile. They'd eaten breakfast with Princess Ivy and Miss Nettle before packing up and heading out. In fact, they all had plans now to meet up sometime soon: most likely after Sofia had gotten settled into her new school year.
Now, however, they were back among the clouds and the birds, traveling once again. And as Sofia was growing a bit restless, she'd decided to pass the time training with her new wand.
"Cookieossity!" She grinned as a plate of cookies dropped from the air and into her lap. "Mm!"
"Of all the spells you could have conducted with a proper wand, you opt for the cookie spell," Cedric remarked with a roll of his eyes. "You are such a child, Sofia."
She grinned as she picked up one of her cookies. "Says the one who has a serious affinity for tiny magical cupcakes." Satisfied with the sour look on his face, she happily munched on her cookie.
"I'll have you know, my Great-Great-Grandmummy Lenora created and perfected the fly cakes recipe. She passed it down to her daughter, and eventually it made its way to my mother, and ever since it's been in our family." He smirked. "And fly cakes beat cookies any day." Despite his insistency, he still reached over and snagged one of her cookies, taking a bite.
Sofia scoffed playfully as she set the plate between them. "If that's the case, why are you stealing my cookies?"
"Because I'm hungry, and even though fly cakes are superior, cookies are still delicious."
She giggled as she watched him eat another cookie. "Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric." She twirled her wand thoughtfully. "I wonder how Dante has been doing the last few years." She eyed her friend as he coughed once before looking away. Her blue eyes narrowed curiously. "You know something I don't, don't you?"
He shrugged. "Perhaps."
Sofia's mouth dropped open. "What is it, Mr. Cedric? What do you know that I don't?"
"You'll see, my dear." He smiled disarmingly as she sighed. "And I think you'll quite like the surprise."
The Kingdom of Namile was a pleasant sight for both friends. The beautiful summer blossoms now coated the kingdom, and the sparkling blue water on the western coast of the kingdom just added to its majesty. To be fair, the last time they had visited this kingdom, it had been right after Wassailia, and the entire land had been one massive winter wonderland. Seeing it in all its summery glory was a new yet welcomed change. The blue-hued castle stood tall and proud, with its multiple towers surrounding the building and several new trees planted along the estate.
Once the AutoCoach landed at the front gate, Cedric exited and helped Sofia out as well. They were instantly greeted by some guards in light blue uniforms.
"State your business, if you please," the head guard commanded.
"I'm Cedric the Great, the Magical Ambassador sent by King Roland from Enchancia. This is his daughter Princess Sofia, who is accompanying me on the journey. We were sent to see Dante the Delightful."
The man's brown eyes widened in realization. "Oh, of course! Yes, King Leandro asked us to be on the lookout for you two." He nodded to some other guards, who saluted. "My men will see to your coach and luggage, sir. Please, follow me, and I will take you to the king and queen."
Sofia watched as several guards began removing their luggage before one attempted to take care of the AutoCoach, only to realize he couldn't. She giggled as she tugged at Cedric's robe. "Mr. Cedric."
Cedric turned and rolled his eyes. "Allow me." He muttered a spell, causing the coach to transfer from the gate entrance to an empty location just inside the gate, where it would be out of the way.
"That's useful," one guard laughed before following his comrades as they dealt with the luggage.
The head guard nodded toward his visitors. "Much obliged, sir. Come along."
They had hardly entered the throne room when an excited laugh escaped from the royal man seated on his throne. "Is that Cedric the Sensational? Oh, excuse me—Cedric the Great now."
Cedric smiled before bowing respectfully. "King Leandro," he greeted as he rose to his full height again. "What an honor to see you. You remember Princess Sofia?"
The auburn-haired teen smiled and curtsied to the man.
"Oh, yes, yes, of course!" The brown-haired man approached them excitedly, grinning. "You certainly have grown up, Princess Sofia. The last few years have been very kind to you."
She smiled. "Thank you, King Leandro."
"Amelie and I have been talking about this visit for some time now. After what you two did for Dante—and for our kingdom, no less—we are forever in your debt."
"You don't owe us anything, Your Majesty," Sofia insisted. "We just did what we were asked to do, and clearing Dante's name was the right thing to do."
He nodded and chuckled. "Then, I suppose, allow me to amend my statement: we forever offer you both our gratitude."
The princess giggled. "We'll take that."
"Where is Queen Amelie?" Cedric wondered as he looked around. "Where is anyone else, actually?"
"Oh, right, about that…" The older man shrugged. "She's with Seraphina, tending to our granddaughter."
"Aww," Sofia cooed before pausing. "Wait, what?" She gasped as she made the connection. "Did… Did Princess Seraphina get married? Who did she marry? When did she have a daughter?" She glanced up at Cedric. "You knew about this?!"
King Leandro exchanged glances with Cedric, who seemed rather amused. "You didn't tell her?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise, Your Majesty."
The king's dark purple eyes twinkled in delight. "Follow me."
Upon stopping in the hallway at a white door with intricate gold trimmings, the king knocked and waited patiently. Hearing an affirmative beckon to enter, he turned to the other two. "We must stay quiet," he insisted with one finger to his lips.
The Enchancian duo nodded as they were led inside.
The bedroom was an expansive array of white and royal blue blended together: white walls, blue plush carpet, white and blue sheer curtains cascading from the top of the massive windows to the floor, mixed colors of the king bed comforter and canopy covers, and so forth. Overall, it was a rather comfortable and welcoming environment.
"Princess Sofia, Mr. Cedric?" The blonde-haired princess they'd met a few years ago, Princess Seraphina, smiled delightedly as she hurried over to them. She still looked very much the same: long wavy blonde hair tied back with flowers (like her mother), a floor-length white dress, and a lighter shade of purple eyes, which were quite similar to her father's. "Oh, Dante has spoken of seeing you two again. I'm so glad you made it safely."
"Where is Dante, Princess Seraphina?" Sofia asked curiously. She noticed rather quickly that Queen Amelie was standing in the center of the bedroom, her arms cradling someone. She couldn't see that well as the queen's back was to her.
"He's working right now. He had to meet with his mentor at the convention center today. He should be back soon though."
"He has a mentor now?" Cedric asked, intrigued. "What a wonderful idea, actually. I feel more of the newer sorcerers—especially royal sorcerers—could do with a mentor of their own."
Princess Seraphina nodded. "He's learned a lot from him. Maybe you know him: Sir Finlay of Helvetica?"
"No way," Sofia gasped. "We were just in Helvetica not too long ago." She laughed. "Now that is a neat coincidence."
Cedric chuckled and smiled toward the older princess. "Sir Finlay is an old friend and colleague of mine. Dante is very fortunate to have him as a mentor."
"Kind of weird that he didn't mention it though," the younger princess told her friend. She then turned toward the Namilean princess. "So… King Leandro mentioned something about a baby?" She smiled excitedly.
Princess Seraphina laughed softly before gesturing for the friends to follow her. When she reached her mother, she gently scooped a sleeping infant from her arms. Turning, she presented the little girl to the other two. "Mr. Cedric, Princess Sofia, this is my daughter: Isadora. We call her Issy."
The little girl in question had rather dark hair and light skin, and she was dressed in soft pink pajamas. Even her tiny hands were covered in the fabric. When she blinked open her eyes, the friends could see the same amethyst eyes that her mother possessed. But that hair…
Sofia finally realized what should have been blatantly obvious from the beginning. She gaped at the other girl. "You married Dante, didn't you?"
Queen Amelie giggled. "No one told her?"
"Mr. Cedric thinks it's fun to keep secrets from me, apparently." Sofia grinned toward her mentor.
"I figured it was fairly obvious, my dear."
Princess Seraphina smiled as she rocked her daughter gently. "Dante and I had been best friends since we were three years old. After he was established as our royal sorcerer, we began seeing each other a bit more, though we realized pretty quickly that we were starting to feel like far more than just friends. After a few months, my parents allowed us to begin courting. We got married once we'd both turned eighteen, and a few months ago…" She nodded toward Isadora. "Little Issy came along, and we couldn't be happier."
"So, does that mean that one day, you will be queen and Dante will be king?" Sofia was trying to figure out how the royal lineage would work, now that a princess had married a royal sorcerer. She wasn't sure if it had happened before, or even if it was a common practice, but Namile was one of the more progressive kingdoms, so she assumed it was going to be seen as a fairly normal occurrence.
"Sort of," King Leandro confirmed. "Seraphina was always destined to take over the throne, especially since she is our only child. When the time comes, Seraphina will be the queen, and Dante will act as king consort."
"Royal matters are always a royal pain, if you ask me," Queen Amelie chuckled. "You two must be starving after your journey."
Cedric nodded as Sofia giggled. "It has been a while since we last ate. I guess breakfast, actually."
"It's time we get some food in you then," King Leandro chuckled. "I'll inform Chef Henri to go ahead and prepare some meals. Meanwhile, your rooms have been prepared for your stay. I'll make sure you get to them myself."
Sofia grinned. "Thanks, King Leandro." She turned to the other princess. "Will Dante be back in a few hours, do you think?"
She nodded. "I believe so." She smiled at the younger girl. "And I think he will be especially thrilled to see you two."
The rooms set aside for Cedric and Sofia were directly across the hall from each other, just like in Helvetica. Both rooms echoed a similar color scheme as Princess Seraphina's bedroom, which incorporated the lighter blues and white. Each also had a balcony that overlooked different areas of the kingdom. Each bed was large and overstuffed with pillows, and the mattresses were extra comfortable, to their delight.
"I could fall asleep right here," Cedric admitted as he lay face down on his bed just as Sofia walked in.
"It's not even nighttime yet," Sofia told him as she walked over to the bed and sat next to him.
"Your point?" he asked, his voice muffled by about three different pillows.
"Come on, Mr. Cedric. Get up. King Leandro went through all the trouble to get his chef to make us some food." She giggled as he gave her a sarcastic smirk. "I know. It sounds as silly to me as it does to you. And besides, Dante will be back soon, right? We can't miss seeing him!"
"We won't. I just want some time to sleep." He lifted his hand to his mouth as he yawned.
"You can't go to sleep yet, though."
"Watch me." He smiled contentedly as he grabbed one of the pillows and cuddled it while lying on his side, closing his eyes.
"Fine. If you get to sleep, so do I."
He believed she was about to retreat to her room, but he was surprised when she hopped onto his bed right next to him, leaning her head on his pillow. He looked at her bemusedly. "Sofia, what are you doing?"
"Proving a point." She smiled as she looked toward him playfully. "If you get to sleep, so do I."
"There's a whole other bed in your room, you know."
She grinned. "But where's the fun in that? I can't annoy you if I'm in my own room."
He rolled his eyes. "I once described you as 'irritatingly charming.'" He smirked as she giggled. "The older you get, the more inclined I am to drop the 'charming' part."
She matched his smirk. "So now I'm just 'irritatingly?' Learn the difference between an adverb and an adjective, Mr. Cedric."
He scoffed as he sat up, listening to her laugh. "This has got to be the most pointless argument ever."
"It got you up though." She sat up and slid onto the floor, placing her hands on her hips. "Ready to eat?"
"Do I have a choice?" He yelped as she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.
About an hour later, after the visiting Enchancians had eaten, they were greeted by a familiar and warm voice.
"Hey, you guys!"
Sofia gasped and turned, seeing Dante the Delightful walking into the common room where they had all gathered. She jumped up from her seat beside Cedric and hurried toward Dante, hugging him. "Dante!"
Dante looked about the same as last time. He still had his hair tied into a long dark ponytail, though it was much neater this time around. His outfit as a royal sorcerer had evolved into a more intricate design that reminded her a bit of what Mateo wore, except on the blue spectrum. He also looked a bit more mature now, which she supposed was due to being twenty years old now and a father as well.
"Sofia," the young sorcerer laughed, returning her hug. "You've gotten taller!" He then playfully tugged at her ponytail. "And look at all this hair! You're finally catching up to me, huh?" He laughed.
Sofia smiled and hugged him again, giggling. "It is so good to see you." She moved back and placed her hands on her hips. "And I saw Issy earlier. She looks just like you! And Princess Seraphina, too, of course." She grinned.
"Well, she is our daughter," he joked before glancing toward Cedric, who had approached them. "Mr. Cedric! How wonderful to see you!" He smiled and forwent the other sorcerer's extended hand and hugged him instead.
Cedric laughed uncertainly, slightly caught off guard, before hesitantly patting the other sorcerer on the back. "Oh, good. Another hugger."
Sofia grinned. "You should be used to it by now, Mr. Cedric. I feel like I've helped you practice enough over the years."
Dante released Cedric and smiled. "You haven't changed a bit. How have you been?"
"Surprisingly wonderful," the older sorcerer returned honestly, chuckling. "Sofia and I have been working together quite a bit, and luckily her father allowed her to come along with me on this trip. We are establishing stronger magical ties with kingdoms, as you may have heard."
"Oh, yeah, Sir Finlay was telling me all about that earlier today. He wants me to join the program next year. Maybe I could go with you guys?"
Sofia laughed. "That would be ah-mazing!"
Princess Seraphina walked over and gently kissed Dante before passing the baby over to him. "Glad you're home, Dante."
He smiled gently toward his wife. "Thanks, Sera." He glanced toward his daughter, who was staring sleepily at him. "Issy, did you get to meet some new people today?" He gently shifted her around to where she was visible to the others. "These are some very important people. They saved me." He gestured toward Cedric. "This is Mr. Cedric, the best sorcerer in the world."
Cedric chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know about that…"
Sofia smiled and leaned against him. "I do."
He smiled fondly at her and wrapped his arm around her.
"And that's Princess Sofia, the sweetest and nicest princess you'll ever meet—aside from your Mommy, of course." He winked toward Seraphina, who laughed softly. He then turned back to the Enchancian visitors. "Would you guys like to stay here for a few days? I'd love to catch up with you guys and show you everything that's changed since you were last here."
Sofia glanced up toward her mentor. "Mr. Cedric?"
He shrugged before nodding toward Dante. "I don't see why not. We're not due for our next location until next week anyway."
"You're welcome to stay as long as you like," Princess Seraphina informed them as she placed a hand on Dante's shoulder. "After everything you've done for us, it's the least we could do."
"It would be our pleasure, Princess," Cedric informed her kindly.
That evening, Cedric was dressed for bed and was already starting to settle in when he heard a knock at his door. A chuckle escaped him as he recalled all the knocks back in Enchancia… He'd been with his apprentice so often these days that he didn't hear the knocks much anymore, and he didn't realize how much he'd missed them. "Come in, Sofia."
Sofia pushed the door open and shut it behind her. As usual, she was dressed for bed, though her pajamas tonight looked a bit closer to her Protector outfit, minus the cape. She walked over to the bed and sat on it, but instead of saying anything to her friend, she was staring at her hands.
"Sofia, what's wrong?"
"My hands hurt, Mr. Cedric," she told him, her fingers gently trailing over her palms. "I didn't want to bother you about it, but it's gotten to the point where I don't know what to do. It's been a while since they hurt last, but they're really starting to bother me tonight."
"I wonder what's going on." Having removed his fingerless gloves a few minutes ago, he was now able to clasp his own hands around hers, inspecting her palms and fingers. "When you say they hurt, what do you mean?"
"I told you when we were on the way to get my wand a while ago, I think, that they feel like they're tingling. But now it's more like a burning sensation." She sighed as he gently massaged her palms with his thumbs. "I don't know why this is happening, Mr. Cedric. I couldn't even get to sleep with them hurting like this."
"Hmm. Just a moment." He released her hands and got out of his bed, moving over to the bag where he'd stored his potions. After digging through it for a few moments, he finally withdrew a small green jar. Satisfied, he walked back over to his bed and settled down, gesturing for Sofia to hold her hands out to him again. "This is a pain-relieving potion. It's relatively general and can help with all types of pain, so we'll see if it works." He uncorked the bottle and poured a small amount into her left palm. "Rub that on both of your hands. And, so that it doesn't get anywhere, I have an idea." He corked the bottle and placed it on his bedside table before picking up his family wand. Once Sofia finished rubbing the product on her hands, he murmured a soft spell and tapped each of her hands, producing some simple cotton gloves.
Sofia blinked at her hands. "To keep the potion from spreading?"
He smiled and nodded. "Precisely." He then frowned before setting his wand aside and gently taking her gloved hands. "Listen, Sofia. I know you don't want to worry me, but you'll worry me more if you don't tell me if you're in pain—any kind. If I can help, I'm going to. Part of my job is to take care of you, and I'm not about to let anything happen to you."
She sighed and nodded. "I know… I'm sorry for keeping it from you." She smiled tiredly at him. "I'll let you know next time. I promise."
"Good. Off to bed with you." He chuckled as she hugged him briefly before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her. He pondered her predicament as he settled down, pulling the covers over himself. What could be going on with her? He'd come prepared for injuries or illnesses, but hurting hands? It seemed so simple and nonintrusive, yet she seemed rather affected by it. "I'll have to look further into that later…" He sighed and turned over, dousing the lamp and falling asleep.
Sofia climbed into her own bed and stared at her gloved hands, which weren't hurting anymore. The coldness of the potion seemed to coat her hands in a comforting, healing blanket, and the gloves that Cedric had given her just seemed to protect them better. "So weird…" She sighed and doused her own lamp before lying down and staring out the window at the softly glowing moon and twinkling stars before finally drifting off to sleep.
To be continued…
