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 righty! This is the last bit of fun before the heavy stuff hits. In the next chapter, you will find out more about Kitanya's background and what led to her involvement with dark magic, including how and when she received the dark mark on her arm. 😉 Also, Mr. Shortman92, don't worry. There are plenty more hugs coming up, especially in this chapter and after the events of chapter 21.

Note: More marshmallows—I mean fluff—in this chapter. Haha. And we finally get another mention of Kitanya. Ooh… :D


Chapter 19
The Calm Before the Storm

Summary: During Summer Solstice, everyone in Mahiya enjoys a firework display and many festivities; meanwhile, they have no idea what awaits them.


"Happy Summer Solstice!"

It's all the two Enchancians heard as they walked through the streets of Mahiya, taking in more of the kingdom than they'd been able to so far. Evidently, here, Summer Solstice was its own special holiday. People were buying food left and right. Streamers and other festive decorations were scattered about the entire territory. And they were preparing something new that Sofia found fascinating…

"What is this?" she asked in awe as she and Cedric approached a worker, who seemed to be preparing a large, see-through, spherical object.

"It's a Visi-Sphere," the man informed the teen. "We use them only during Summer Solstice. You can step inside and it will magically seal behind you, and you can hover over the kingdom and get a better view of all the festivities going on." He grinned at them. "I'm done preparing this one. Would you like to give it a try?"

"Yes!" "Absolutely not."

"Oh, come on, Mr. Cedric," Sofia pleaded, turning and clasping her hands as she pouted. "It looks like fun!"

"Is there even any oxygen in that thing?" he asked, his question directed at the other man.

"Of course! It's perfectly safe, designed by Master Elgraste himself." He smiled as Sofia continued giving Cedric an imploring look. "Besides, I doubt your young friend here will relent until you agree to go."

Cedric sighed, shrugging. "You are very much correct, I'm sure." He gave his apprentice a pointed look. "One time in this thing. I don't trust things I'm not overly familiar with, regardless of who designed it."

Sofia giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling him along into the bubble-like object. She gasped as it sealed up behind them, leaving them encased in the Visi-Sphere. "What now?" she wondered, glancing toward Cedric.

Before either could say another word, the Visi-Sphere shuffled a bit before quickly elevating into the air, causing the two friends to collide into each other before falling to the bottom.

Cedric groaned after having fallen face-first into the sphere, and he made another sound of discomfort when he felt Sofia fall on his back. "Ugh… Sofia, are you all right?"

She looked around, laughing as she realized that her friend had pretty much broken her fall. "Yeah! Thanks for catching me, Mr. Cedric."

"You're welcome. Now get off."

She grinned and stood up, steadying herself, before reaching down and slowly helping her mentor to his feet as well. "Find your balance."

"I left it on the ground in the marketplace," he responded dryly, causing her to snicker. He brushed off his robe as Sofia peered through the front of the glass-like barrier, her hands pressed to it and her blue eyes widening as she took in the surroundings. He had to admit: it was a rather lovely sight to behold—the kingdom itself, the pastel clouds, the endless waterfalls… He even forgot for a few minutes that he wasn't terribly fond of heights.

"I wonder if anyone ever looks at Enchancia like we look at Mahiya," Sofia mentioned, her voice soft with awe. "Like they're mesmerized by the beauty and the wonder of it all…"

Cedric couldn't help smiling at her near-philosophical murmurs. "I'm sure they do," he assured her as he stood next to her, observing the landscapes below. "Enchancia is magical in its own way, after all."

The princess smiled at her friend. "I think it's because of you, Mr. Cedric. It wouldn't be magical without our royal sorcerer, after all."

"That's where you're wrong, my dear," he argued lightly as he turned to her. "I may have magic and use it on a daily basis, but there's a big difference between using magic…and embodying magic. You fall under that category."

Sofia blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Sofia. What drew you to magic in the first place?"

She frowned thoughtfully as she leaned against the clear barrier. "The wonder of it… The amazing fact that all you had to do was wave a wand or flick your wrist and something would happen. To me, magic was great, because it was so different and so unexpected."

Cedric smiled as he gestured toward her. "My point exactly. You are different and unexpected. No one could have guessed what you would accomplish in your years as a princess. You saved your kingdom a few times, redeemed some of us poor and misguided fools, freed a princess from your amulet, closed the barriers between what was and wasn't expected of royals, became the youngest Protector ever known… Need I go on?"

"Only if you plan on getting to the point," she laughed.

"Enchancia is magical because of you, Sofia. Sure, I'm the royal sorcerer, but you inhabit all the qualities of magic: wonder, excitement, innocence, promise, and hope. I feel that you brought all of that with you when you became Princess Sofia of Enchancia."

She blushed modestly as she played with her ponytail. "Do you really believe that?"

Cedric chuckled before leaning against the barrier himself. "I don't say what I don't mean. I think you know that by now."

Sofia smiled as she tried to approach him gracefully, but she lost her balance and ended up stumbling forward, only to have Cedric catch her before they, again, fell to the bottom of the Visi-Sphere. She began laughing, and soon enough, so did he.

"Well, it's a good thing no one calls you 'Your Grace,' because I'm afraid it would be a contrary title," Cedric joked, sitting up and helping his apprentice do so as well.

She giggled before hugging him, which had been her original goal. "This is what I was trying to do before… Sorry for knocking you down…again."

He hugged her back, smiling. "I suppose it was worth it. You sure are hugging me a lot lately."

She shifted back and clasped her hands uncertainly. "About that… I…overheard what you said to Dexter…" She frowned in concern as she pulled her legs up to her chin. "I heard you say that…I don't hug you as much anymore, and you miss it?"

"You even overheard that?" Cedric found himself flushing in embarrassment this time, aggravated that he'd spoken to the young wizard so close in proximity to his apprentice. He made a mental note to use a different room if and when he spoke of Sofia to someone else again. "Well, I…" He shrugged. "It's just that when you were younger, you used to hug me after every lesson, and sometimes randomly for no reason. And although I didn't intend to, I got used to them and sort of…started anticipating receiving them every now and again. Before you came along, I didn't really get hugs, save for when my mother visited, and Calista, of course. But those were rare. Nowadays, I'm lucky to get a quick pat on the shoulder or something." He sighed, waving one hand. "Not that I expect you to hug me so often or anything… I understand that you're not the same young girl anymore, but…"

"But I'm still Sofia, and you're still Mr. Cedric…" She smiled as he looked at her curiously. "And I still think you're the most ah-mazing person in the world. No age difference will ever change that." She gently took his hand. "If you want a hug, you've got it. After all you've done to help me out over the years, you deserve a hug. And a cookie." She grinned as he started laughing. "A big cookie with lots of frosting on it. Purple frosting, since it's your favorite color and all." She giggled as he gently squeezed her hand.

"Thank you, Sofia. I needed that."

"You're welcome. So…" She smiled happily and extended her arms playfully. "Want a hug?"

Cedric laughed and barely had time to respond as she hugged him yet again. "You're something else, Sofia. But I'm lucky to have you in my life."

She sighed in content, the smile never leaving her face as he returned her embrace. "So am I, Mr. Cedric. So am I…"


The rest of the Visi-Sphere ride went well, allowing the friends to get quite a scenic view of pretty much the entire kingdom. Soon after, they landed and met up with Master Elgraste, Dexter, and Brexley, who were all gathered on the roof of the crystal tower.

"Whatever happened to Kitanya?" Sofia wondered as they all sat together, sharing a picnic on a large blanket. It was then that she realized that, though she and Cedric had been in Mahiya for a few days, they hadn't seen the dark-haired woman since their first day there.

"Kitanya doesn't care for the Summer Solstice," Dexter responded, rolling his eyes. "I think it's due to all the warmth and happiness; you may or may not have realized it, Sofia, but she doesn't exactly possess either trait."

"Dexter," Master Elgraste spoke firmly, chiding him.

Sofia blinked. "Really? I thought she seemed fine. A little sarcastic and serious, but…" She grinned toward Cedric, who was munching on a sandwich. "Between Mr. Cedric and our steward Baileywick, I'm kind of used to both at this point."

Cedric stopped munching momentarily to send her a keen stare before continuing his lunch.

"I'm sure Kitanya will meet up with you before you leave for Enchancia again," the leader declared, breaking his own sandwich into two pieces. "She's just a bit standoffish sometimes. She's a lot to handle, I suppose."

"I'll say," Dexter scoffed as he prepared Brexley's plate and passed it off to her. "All I can say is, don't get on her bad side."

"Yes," Cedric droned as he dusted his hands off after finishing his sandwich. "We saw the effects of it when a few guards questioned her during our arrival."

"I'm afraid Kitanya has a long history with disagreeing with authority figures." Master Elgraste poured himself a glass of cider before picking up the cup. "…Among others…" He then helped himself to his drink.

Cedric leaned down to Sofia, whispering, "Do you get the feeling that we're being left out of some huge, strange secret?"

She smiled and gave him a sarcastic look before shrugging.


The Mahiyan Summer Solstice Celebration was certainly something that the two Enchancian friends discussed taking home to Roland and requesting consideration. While they had plenty of 'changing-of-the-season' parties, they didn't really have anything quite like this. They'd stayed outside all day with their friends, celebrating with food and games, and never once did they even consider going inside. They'd had a consistent stream of entertainment, which had been wonderful.

Now, night had fallen, and everyone was situated under the darkened skies all around the kingdom. The original group of five remained on the crystal tower's roof, now facing the outer area of the kingdom as the firework display was about to begin.

"This almost reminds me of New Year or something," Sofia gushed to her friends, grinning. "The anticipation… The fireworks…"

"The Mahiyan New Year Celebration is one of the best," Dexter told her with a smile. "Maybe you two will come back one of these years for it?"

"Maybe," Cedric responded. "Though I'm sure we'd have to bring her siblings along next time. I doubt they'll want to part with their dear sister again after having her gone for nearly three months."

Sofia nodded. "Especially Amber… I can already predict it. She's going to hug me for ten minutes without letting go." She giggled. "She's a little protective of me."

"I thought being the Protector was your job," Dexter teased.

Sofia snickered. "Yeah, but Amber's older. If you ever meet her, you'll see what I mean."

Brexley gasped and pointed toward the sky, where one solitary firework had been released, allowing it to explode in a burst of colors.

Soon after, several more exploded midair, releasing all the colors of the rainbow just about, and allowing the light display to carry on for several minutes. And while all of Mahiya was enthralled with the sight, there was one who was otherwise preoccupied, red-tinted honey eyes glaring at the hologram image of the quintet atop the crystal tower's roof.

Kitanya narrowed her eyes at the crowd of people, the leader especially. "Brace yourself, Master Elgraste," she bit, "because there's no stopping me now." She chuckled wickedly as the mark on her arm began to glow.

To be continued…