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: All right, everyone! Time to meet some more Mahiyan citizens and find out a secret or two. 😉 As excited as I am for this chapter, I've got to be honest… The NEXT chapter is when I'm revealing a very special original character—someone near and dear to my heart—and I can't wait for you all to meet that person. 😊 The character was inspired by a few different people I've either met personally or heard about, and partially my own mother. I'll explain more on that later!


Chapter 15
Magic Knows No Limits

Summary: Master Elgraste challenges Sofia and Cedric to help three Mahiyan children in their efforts to become full-fledged magic users.


"Sofia, wake up."

Sofia blinked her eyes open slowly and yawned, whining a bit at the intruding sun. She pulled the covers back over her head, sighing. "Five more minutes."

"You're going to be late."

"For what?"

"For your destiny."

The auburn-haired girl frowned as she finally made a connection. The voice speaking to her didn't sound like Cedric's. It didn't sound like Amber's or James's…or anyone else except… She slowly lowered her covers and gasped. "You're me!"

The lookalike folded her arms and glared at her. "Perceptive. In case you haven't put two and two together, this is a dream."

"Ugh, I realize that, but why am I talking to myself? …Or however I should describe this…" She sat up, holding a hand to her head.

"You have been inexcusably clueless the last few weeks."

Sofia frowned. "I know the word 'inexcusably?'" She lowered her hand and shrank backwards as her double growled at her.

"This is serious! You need to pay attention to what's going on around you, Sofia. You really think all these little things that have been happening to you or around you are just coincidences? Don't you know that nothing's ever what it seems?" She firmly grabbed the teen's hands, frowning as she winced in pain. "Everything you know or think may be just the opposite. What seems awful can be wonderful, and what seems wonderful can be deceiving."

Sofia whimpered at the all-too-familiar feeling of the sharp, fierce, burning tingling shooting through her hands. "Stop, please!"

"Wake up!"

"No!"

"Sofia!"


Sofia jolted up from her bed, gasping as she looked around desperately, noting that her double was no longer there. Instead, Cedric stood next to her, a rather concerned look on his face. "Mr. Cedric?"

"I tried to wake you up earlier, but you seemed to be having a rather fitful dream." His eyes fell to her hands, which she was nervously tracing once more. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know anymore, Mr. Cedric," she sighed, giving him a beseeching look. "I had a dream that I met myself. She told me that I haven't been paying attention, and that things aren't what they seem. Something about, 'what seems awful can be wonderful, and what seems wonderful can be…' Um, something? Bad? I don't know." She shook her head. "It's kind of fuzzy now. But I woke up with my hands stinging again."

"Yes, we need to figure that conundrum out. I can't stand seeing you in that much pain." He conjured his small green jar of pain-relieving potion that he'd used on her hands once before and removed his fingerless gloves, setting them aside, before gently turning her palms up. "Hold still."

Sofia watched as he lightly massaged the potion into her skin, making sure to coat her palms, her fingers, and the back of her hands as well.

"Wear your Protector gloves today," he insisted as he removed her GuardoRing and placed it aside on the nightstand. "You can put your GuardoRing and Enchantlet over them. But your hands need some time to heal properly." He replaced his own fingerless gloves soon afterward.

"Thanks, Mr. Cedric…" She smiled as he began walking toward the door. "I'll get dressed and meet you for breakfast."

He nodded as he stood beside her doorway. "Sounds good."

As he left, Sofia plopped back against her pillows, her eyes peering at the top of the canopy bed, as if seeking answers that clearly weren't there. "I really wish we could get some clarity," she murmured, instantly looking down at her amulet, which stayed stagnant. She scoffed. "Oh, sure. When I actually want a wish granted, you do nothing. I see how it is." She rolled her eyes before yawning and finally vacating the bed so that she could get ready for the day.


A little over an hour later after the Enchancian friends had fully dressed and eaten, they met up with Master Elgraste in the Mahiyan Magic Training Camp, which was located a little ways from the central area of the kingdom. In fact, they'd had to use a few tunnels to exit to the camp: a luscious and well-vegetated area.

Three young children were seated on large boulders, listening to Master Elgraste speak to them, even as Sofia and Cedric arrived at the scene.

"…And you are expected to give it your very best try," the old man concluded with a large smile as his visitors approached. "Ah, here they are now. Children, these are your temporary trainers for the day. Say hello to Mr. Cedric and Princess Sofia." As the children did so, he chuckled. "And allow me to introduce your new charges: Maliana, Cadence, and Lennox."

The three children stared at their new trainers in awe. Never could they have imagined that a real princess and a respected sorcerer would be willing to work with them.

Maliana was a ten-year-old girl with hip-length dark brown hair tied back half-way and dark curious eyes. She, like Master Elgraste, had a darker complexion. She wore a simple pink dress with dark tights and matching pink shoes. She seemed to be the most focused of the trio, probably due to her older age.

Next was Cadence, an eight-year-old boy whom Master Elgraste introduced as Maliana's cousin. He had the same skin tone as his cousin, though he possessed stormy blue eyes and a mop of messy black hair. He seemed to prefer darker colors, as indicated by his blue tunic and dark slacks. A pair of black buckled shoes finished off his look. He appeared to be a bit more outgoing than his cousin, and he couldn't stop smiling at Sofia, who found the gesture both endearing and bothersome at the same time.

Last but not least was the six-year-old blonde girl named Lennox. She was not related to the other two, but she was a very dear friend of theirs. Lennox's long, wispy blonde hair danced around her shoulders, framing her slim fair-skinned face. Her large baby blue eyes were a key feature, as they reflected a sense of wonder and innocence, which Sofia both admired and longed to have again, those days of childlike wonder now mostly a thing of her past. The little blonde girl seemed to prefer a similar style to Maliana, though her knee-length pink and white dress had a few heart-shaped designs etched into the fabric. Her pink flats completed her ensemble.

"Are you a real princess?" Lennox gasped in awe, staring at the teenager with her mouth hanging open.

Sofia laughed, nodding as she sat down on a boulder across from them, Cedric following her example and sitting next to her. "I am. You can call me Sofia though."

Lennox grinned. "Ooh! Sofia! I love that name!" She clasped her hands together. "I think I'll name my grasshopper that!"

Maliana rolled her eyes as Sofia laughed uncertainly. "Forgive her," she sighed. "Lennox is a bit of a bubble-head."

Master Elgraste chuckled as he placed one hand on Cedric's left shoulder and the other on Sofia's right shoulder. "I'll leave you two to it then. Just anything you can teach them in a span of few hours, that will be wonderful. They are here to learn, specially chosen by the Mahiyan Magic Board." He glanced toward the trio. "Be good and learn much."

"Yes, Master Elgraste," they chorused, smiling sincerely as the old man left.

"Well, then," Cedric began, a bit out of practice coaching multiple children at once, "let's start with the basics. How much magic do you three actually know?"

"A bit," Cadence responded, giggling. "I like potions best, but I can also do this." He held out his hand, concentrating, and grinned as a rock lifted up from the ground before soaring through the air as he mimicked the motion of tossing it.

"Impressive," Cedric admitted with a nod. "What about you, my dear?" he asked, turning to Maliana next.

She smiled. "My favorite and best magical ability is doing transformation spells. I can transform anything into…well, anything." She laughed before pulling out what appeared to be a pink training wand and pointing it at a budding flower. "Mutata ranam." She grinned triumphantly as the flower successfully changed into a frog, which croaked in confusion before hopping away.

Sofia smiled excitedly. "That's ah-mazing! Nice job, Maliana." She then turned toward the little boy, who was still smiling dreamily at her. She blinked before asking, "Um, Cadence, are you okay?"

He sighed. "Yes, Princess Sofia… Hee-hee…"

Cedric rolled his eyes at the boy's clear display of affection toward his apprentice before clearing his throat, getting the others' attention. "Right then, what of you, little one?" he asked, his attention now fully on Lennox.

"Oh, I can…" She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I dunno what it's called."

"She has magical music talent," Maliana informed them. "She can play any musical instrument, and when she does, it has a magical effect on different things."

Cedric tilted his head. "Such as?"

"She played the violin one day, and it started causing daisies to grow from the ground." The oldest student gestured vaguely as the little blonde smiled proudly. "And yesterday she was practicing the flute, and a rainbow appeared out of nowhere."

"Wow!" Sofia gushed, amazed by the stories. "That's neat. I'm starting to wonder why you guys even need our help."

"I think Master Elgraste wants us to cultivate their talents," Cedric told her with a small nod to himself. "In a magical kingdom such as this, it would certainly make sense."


And so, that's exactly what they did. For the next few hours, Cedric and Sofia shared the responsibility of training with their students and helping them better their magical abilities. With Cadence, Cedric showed the little boy the perfect potions and formulas he could create for his own age group. He also helped him hone his concentration skills as he focused on magically transporting things from one location to another.

Sofia worked with the girls, urging them to stay focused, positive, and prepared as they conducted their magic. With the utmost concentration (and energy, of course), Maliana transformed an entire tree into a small tower.

"Wow!" Lennox gasped as she held onto her flute, which she'd brought with her in a small backpack. "That's really neat, Mali! How did you do that?"

"Practice," the older girl quipped with a small laugh. "What about you, Lennox? Are you ready to show Sofia your magic?"

"My magic's so boring compared to you guys," she sighed, pouting.

"Are you kidding?" Sofia knelt to the young girl and shook her head, smiling. "You can make rainbows when you play an instrument, Lennox. How many other kids can say that?"

"Like two and a half," she replied, baffling the princess. "My older sisters and my super tiny little brother. Well, he sort of can. He beat on a drum the other day and made a tiny sunshine."

"Why is that cute?" Cedric asked, distracted by the girls' conversation.

Sofia laughed and shrugged before placing her gloved hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Just focus and do your best. You have amazing talent, Lennox. And everyone loves rainbows."

"Okay," Lennox consented, lifting her flute to her lips. "Here goes." With a quick breath in, the little girl began playing a flourish of the most beautiful music any of the group had ever heard. She was able to create musical combinations that no one had ever considered, and at some points, it even sounded like there might be another flute harmonizing with hers. Now that was truly magical.

Before long, a large rainbow spouted from the end of the flute, stretching across the sky and ending somewhere on the other side of Mahiya.

"That's amazing!" Cedric gasped as he and Cadence walked back over to them. "Never have I seen something so unique…"

"See?" Maliana giggled as Lennox lowered her flute and grinned proudly. "Mr. Cedric loved it!"

"Thanks, guys," the little girl said shyly with a pleased smile.

"Ooh, look!" Cadence exclaimed, pointing toward a tree in the distance. "It's a cake fruit tree!" He began hurrying toward the tall tree. "Come on, you guys! Let's get some!"

"I remember cake fruit," Sofia laughed. "They had some on Princess Ivy's island." She and Cedric followed along behind the three kids, who all took off hurriedly toward the tree.

"Cake fruit," the sorcerer repeated, rolling his eyes. "Well, that's one way to introduce fruit to the little ones, I suppose. Though I'm not inclined to believe it's a 'healthy' choice."

"Healthy, shmealthy," Lennox retorted, laughing. "Cake fruit is awesome! And my favorite!"

As they reached the tree, Cadence began climbing, eager to get to the cluster of fruits dangling from the tree. He grinned at the quartet below. "Hands up if you want some!"

"I'd prefer it if you get down, actually," Cedric countered, hands on his hips. "I'd rather not be liable should something happen to you."

"I climb trees all the time," the boy argued, scooting out a bit farther onto the thick branch as he plucked off several pieces of fruit, tossing them down to the awaiting hands of Lennox and Maliana. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Famous last words," Cedric murmured to Sofia, who nodded.

Sofia frowned as she felt a familiar and very unwelcome tingling in her hands, despite the fact that she was wearing her gloves. She discreetly tugged them off, pocketed them, and replaced her Enchantlet and GuardoRing before observing her bare hands. They looked normal, of course, but the burning sensation seemed to be growing worse somehow. Still, she couldn't let anyone know right now. She didn't want to worry the kids, and Cedric probably wouldn't be able to do anything about it at the moment anyway. "Mm…"

"Sofia?" Cedric glanced toward his apprentice, frowning, recognizing the familiar whimper of pain she'd been more inclined to recently. "What is-?"

"Ahh!"

Everyone on the ground gasped as they looked up, seeing that Cadence had just slipped and was now hanging onto the branch in fear.

"Hang on, Cadence!" Lennox urged, her blue eyes wide in fear for her friend's safety.

"Yeah, we'll save you!" Maliana called. She looked desperately toward Cedric. "Save him, Mr. Cedric!"

"Oh, where's my blasted wand?" he panicked, searching through his robe.

Sofia's eyes widened as the boy lost his grip and began falling. Reacting instinctively, she reached out her hands in his direction. However, instead of catching him, she… The girl blinked as she realized that Cadence was now floating midair, surrounded by…magic? "What…? H-How is this possible?"

Cedric gaped at her in shock. That would explain some things… But he'd have to talk to her later, in private. He couldn't alarm the children. Finally locating his wand, he took over and utilized a spell to help the boy slowly and safely lower to the ground.

"You're all right!" Maliana sighed as she hugged her cousin. She then whacked him upside the head.

"OW!" He pouted as he rubbed his head, his stormy blue eyes narrowed at the older girl. "What was that for?"

"Dummy, don't go climbing trees and putting yourself in danger for cake fruit. Use magic, like everyone else."

"Only in a magic world can you get away with saying that," Sofia joked, though she noticed her mentor watching her carefully. She quickly turned away, avoiding his gaze for now.

"Thanks for saving me, Mr. Cedric," Cadence gushed.

"Even if he did do something dumb," Lennox added, grinning as the boy pouted.

"Huh?" Cedric finally ceased his observation of the Enchancian teen and nodded toward Cadence. "Er, you're welcome… Say, let's wrap this up so that we can get you all back to Master Elgraste and report on what a fantastic job you did today. Minus the tree thing."

Cadence grinned guiltily. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric."


After returning the children to the kingdom and passing along word of their successful magical training, Cedric and Sofia returned to their apartment. The tension was rather palatable between them now, but it was more of an anxious tension than anything. Where one question ended, another one had popped up in its place.

Once they were settled in Sofia's room, sitting on her window seat together, Sofia finally broke her silence. "Don't ask me what happened," she finally told him, frowning as she pulled her legs up to her chin. "I just…reacted on instinct. I didn't know I could…do whatever I did."

"Of all the things this mysterious issue of yours could have been, never would I have guessed this." He reached for her hands, gently holding them. "You created hand magic, Sofia."

She frowned curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I used to do it often when I was a child. I still do on occasion, though my wand is my main magic source now. Hand magic is exactly as it sounds: creating magic with your hands. To be perfectly honest, though, I'm quite surprised you are able to do so."

"So, this hand magic is what's been causing the pain in my hands?" Seeing him nod thoughtfully, she sighed, eyeing their clasped hands. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"I can make an educated guess." He gently caressed her palms with his fingers, trying to sooth the pain in any way he could. "You don't have a magical lineage. However, my theory is that this is circumstantial. You have spent years wearing and using the Amulet of Avalor. You've used numerous wands. You've worn and used an Enchantlet. You've been granted powers by the amulet. You've hosted a princess, who's turned out to have powers of her own." He shrugged. "I theorize that all that magic might have tapped into your energy…and perhaps your lifeforce."

Sofia's eyes widened considerably. "What?"

"You and Princess Elena were connected, right? Since you've gained all these abilities and blessings, it's possible that over the years, the magic has been building up inside of you. Don't ask me how, because I'm not sure."

"So, what do I do now?" She glanced toward her hands, which had suddenly begun feeling better—no pain or burning sensations left.

"I'll show you how to use the magic safely," he volunteered. "Also, I'll have to demonstrate how to block it off when you're not using it. One thing to realize is that this type of magic requires a great deal of energy, which can drain you pretty quickly. If not properly used, it could also cause you to pass out."

Sofia nodded uncertainly.

"I'll help you nurture this. I promise. It's nothing to fear; just be aware of it and how to use it properly." He sighed in relief as he laughed softly. "To be honest, I'm rather glad it turned out to be hand magic and not…something far more serious."

Sofia smiled fondly at him as she noticed the calmer look on her friend's face. "So am I… You said you can still use hand magic too?"

He nodded and tugged off his gloves, concentrating a bit before chuckling as a small magical spark snapped in the center of his hands, followed by a thin layer of magic.

"Wow… So I'm not alone."

Cedric shook his head and raised both of his hands, smiling as she lifted her own hands and held them to his, the magic pouring from his palms colliding with the magic now seeping from hers. "You never were, Sofia. Don't worry." His expression became focused yet tender as she watched him attentively. "I'll help you every step of the way. I promise."

To be continued…