DISC: I DO NOT own any of the characters from Sofia the First. They belong to their respective creators. I'm just borrowing them. I do however own anyone you don't recognize.

Enjoy!

A/N: I want to thank all my readers for being patient with me in regards to this story. I hope everyone likes this next chapter!

"True Sisters"

Chapter 12

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay until you get inside?" Derek asked.

"I'm fine," Hildegard assured him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied.

Getting out of the carriage, Hildegard felt her knees shaking as she walked up to the door. She could hear a bunch of laughter and shouting coming from inside. James was probably playing until dinnertime. Before Hildegard could gather her thoughts together, the door opened.

A man dressed in a royal blue outfit stood there. Hildegard tried to place him, but due to her emotional state, the name wouldn't come to her.

"Princess Hildegard?" The man questioned.

Hildegard nodded.

"Come in," he opened the door wider.

Hildegard did so. She blinked furiously as the warmth of the entry way hit her.

"Is everything okay? You usually don't visit Sofia or Amber this late," the man glanced at her in concern.

Hildegard shook her head.

"I…I'm sorry, I need to speak with Sofia."

"She's still resting," the man explained gently.

"I know," Hildegard swallowed hard as the sting of tears welled. She blinked again, "I won't keep her long. Please?"

Just then, James' voice could be heard from somewhere else in the palace.

"Bailiwick! Tell Amber to give me my ball back!"

Hildegard silently thanked Amber for her save. Now at least she could address the man standing in front of her by name.

"Bailiwick, please, may I talk to Sofia? I need…" Hildegard's voice trailed off. She had never spoken something like this aloud. It was foreign to her. "…I need a friend right now."

Bailiwick softened immediately. Even though the young girl was trying to hold it together, he could see real pain in her eyes.

"Of course. This way, Princess Hildegard," with that, he lead her into the hallway and up a flight of stairs.

"Bailiwick!" James called again.

"I'll be right there, James!" Baileywick called back. "Ah, here we are. Let me just make sure Sofia isn't sleeping. If she's awake, I'll let her know you're here."

"Than-thank you," Hildegard softly replied.

"Of course," with that, Baileywick was gone. He returned a minute or so later. He was frowning. "I'm sorry, Hildegard, Sofia is asleep. I don't want to wake her."

Hildegard felt her heart clench with panic.

"Uh, could I go in and sit with her until she wakes up? So she won't be alone."

Baileywick thought about it before nodding.

"That's very nice of you," he smiled at her. "Just try to be quiet."

"I will," Hildegard said earnestly. Entering the room, she sat down in the chair she had occupied a few days ago. She took a deep breath. She felt a certain calm come over her now that she was near the person she needed. She was still fighting back tears, but something deep down told her everything was going to be okay. Glancing around the room, she smiled. The room reminded her of Sofia. She had a simple, but beautiful taste. Almost everything in the room was purple with the exception of the bed frame. What wasn't purple was a light blue color. It reminded Hildegard of a sparkling lake. As she breathed in the room's smell, it calmed her even more. It smelled of roses mixed with strawberry and something Hildegard couldn't place. Closing her eyes, she suddenly felt exhausted. Letting down her guard now that she felt safe, the eleven-year-old allowed her mind to relax. As it did, she fell into a restless sleep. It wasn't long before she felt someone lift her up. She opened her eyes and started to struggle against the unfamiliar touch.

"Huh? Wha-what's going…let me…" she mumbled as she tried to wake up. She soon heard a soft, female voice assure her.

"Shh, it's okay, honey. I'm tucking you in next to Sofia so you can get some proper sleep. Everything's okay…"

Hildegard relaxed upon hearing Sofia's name. She figured it was the queen who was tucking her in. She allowed her to without putting up a fight. Snuggling beneath the covers, she reached a hand out, desperate for contact. Feeling Sofia's hand a few inches away, she left hers there, giving Sofia the choice to take it or not. As she felt Sofia do so, she sighed with relief and let herself drift off to sleep.

*****

Hildegard cried out as she tossed and turned. She had to get away from them. As she continued to fight, she soon heard a familiar voice in her ear. It was soothing, but urgent.

"Hildegard? Hildegard, come on, it's only a bad dream. You need to wake up now. Hildy? You're safe…" the familiar voice soothed.

"Leave me alone!" Hildegard begged, her voice breaking with tears.

"Hildegard, come on…" the same familiar voice coaxed. "Open your eyes for me. You'll see you're safe."

"No! Please!" Hildegard cried. She suddenly sat up quickly. Letting out a sob, she glanced around. Not recognizing the room she was in, she started to shake.

"Hildegard, it's okay. I'm right here," there was that voice again. This time, it sounded closer than before.

Turning her head to the right, Hildegard locked eyes with the owner of it.

"Sofia! I…It was terrible! They were chasing me and I couldn't get away!" She let the tears fall as she explained her nightmare to the only person she felt would understand.

"Who?" Sofia asked.

Hildegard took a shuddering breath as more tears came.

"Hildy, come here…" Sofia reached out and pulled her friend close. She had never seen her scared before. She also had never seen her cry either.

"I…I da-don't want to ha-hurt…" Hildegard's voice trailed off as more tears came.

"You won't, I promise. You're on my left side," Sofia explained. With that, she pulled her friend in for a hug. She hushed her and ran a hand through her hair. Spotting a cup of water on her headboard, she got it down. Gently pressing it to her friend's lips, she requested, "Take a sip for me."

Hildegard obeyed without question.

"That's it. Just take a deep breath."

Again, Hildegard did so.

"Again?" The younger girl gently requested.

Hildegard repeated the action.

"Good girl. You're safe," she assured her friend.

"I know," Hildegard whispered.

Sofia smiled before wincing in pain.

"I'm glad," she sincerely replied. "Hildy, what happened? I'm glad you came to see me. It's been somewhat lonely here all day. But what's upset you?"

Hildegard gulped. Swallowing hard, she locked eyes with Sofia. As honey colored met azure, Hildegard found the courage and strength to answer.

"Miss Flora assigned us a writing project. I was the first one who finished. But I…I threw it away," she admitted softly.

"What? Why?" Sofia asked.

"I…I tried to read it to Astrid, she's my older sister. She made fun of me. Then my parents went out for the night. I…I couldn't stay there with her. Her words really hurt…I had to talk to you. I knew you would understand. I'm sorry…" Hildegard's voice trailed off as a new set of tears streamed down her face. She turned away in shame.

"Hildegard...look at me," Sofia rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Hildegard did so after a minute.

"You NEVER EVER have to say you're sorry for needing me. I'll always be there for you," Sofia said earnestly.

Hildegard nodded. She could tell Sofia was being honest.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What was the story about if you don't mind me asking?" Sofia held her breath, not sure if Hildegard would answer.

Hildegard sighed.

"It was about you-us. I wrote about when you helped me in the painting," she blushed.

Sofia felt a few tears come to her own eyes. Blinking, she was able to fight them back.

"I'm glad I was able to help," she assured her. "But why did you throw it away? I've read a few of your other stories. They're really good!"

Hildegard managed a tiny smile for Sofia, which faded just as quickly as it had come.

"Thanks. I overheard my sister and her friend talking. Astrid said I was stupid to think my story was good enough to be read in front of the class."

"Hildegard, you are NOT stupid," Sofia declared. "Your sister shouldn't have said that. She was wrong. Listen, when is the assignment due?"

"On Monday," Hildegard replied. Then she added, "I don't think Miss Flora expects you to write one. She knows you're still sick."

"I know. I can help you rewrite it," Sofia offered.

"I can't ask you to do that," Hildegard dismissed.

"You didn't. I'm offering. I won't read it if you want to keep it private until Monday. I can just be here for you in case it gets hard or you forget some details of our adventure."

"You would do that for me?" Hildegard couldn't believe it. This whole friendship thing was still new to her.

"Sure!" Sofia smiled at her. "Like I told you, good friends will be there for you, even when you fall. You need a friend right now. Please, let me help you."

Hildegard thought about it for a few minutes. She nodded as a small grin spread across her face.

"All right."

"Great! I have some paper and pencils in my desk. You can use them," she offered. "There's a book on my dresser that you can use to put the paper against."

"Okay," Hildegard was about to get off the bed when something stopped her. Turning around, she hugged Sofia. "I mean that."

"I know you do. You're welcome," Sofia hugged back before pulling away.

As Hildegard sat back down next to Sofia, she started her story again. As she wrote, she glanced up every so often to check on Sofia. Her friend was alert and would often give her encouraging smiles as she watched her progress. A half an hour later, Hildegard wrote THE END.

"Would you like to read it?" Hildegard offered.

"Are you sure?" Sofia hesitated.

"You helped me. You have more right to read it than anyone else," Hildegard said.

"I'd love to. Thank you," with that, Sofia took the four pieces of paper. Smiling from ear to ear once she was done, she locked eyes with Hildegard. "It's perfect. Everyone is going to love it!"

Hildegard glanced anxiously at her friend.

"How can you be sure?"

Sofia grinned.

"Because you wrote from your heart. And that's what matters."

Hildegard smiled back. Taking the papers from Sofia, she glanced around the room for a folder to put them in.

"You can have a spare folder of mine. I have all kinds of cool colors and patterns," Sofia offered.

"Thanks," Hildegard stood and went over to the shelf the younger girl had indicated. Looking through the selection, the eleven-year-old soon found a blue and pink folder with kittens around the border that she liked. She held it up for Sofia to see. "Can I use this one?"

"Sure! Go for it!" her friend encouraged.

Hildegard put her story in the folder. Setting it on Sofia's desk, she wrote her name across the top of the folder in purple ink.

"There," she declared.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Sofia called out.

The door opened to reveal her mother on the other side.

"Are you hungry for dinner, sweetheart?" she asked her daughter.

"A little," Sofia ventured.

"Okay. I'll have Baileywick bring it up to you. Would you like some, Hildegard?" Miranda offered.

"Yes, please? Thank you, You're Majesty," Hildegard smiled shyly at her.

"You're welcome," Miranda returned the smile. "Baileywick will be up in a few minutes."

"Okay. You can tell him to take his time," Sofia assured her.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that," her mother said. With that, she left the two alone.

"Tonight's chicken casserole night," Sofia informed Hildegard.

Hildegard grinned for the first time since arriving at the castle.

"That's one of my favorite meals!"

"Mine too," Sofia revealed.

"Thanks for helping me with my story and everything else."

"You're welcome. That's what friends are for. And you're one of my best friends."

This caught Hildegard off guard.

"I am?" she was taken aback by the younger princess's words.

Sofia nodded.

"I think of you as a best friend too," Hildegard told her. "You were the first person I thought of after everything happened."

"I'm here for you whenever you need me," Sofia assured her.

"Same here," Hildegard vowed. As she resumed her spot on Sofia's bed, she knew she meant it. Little did she know how soon she would be called upon to back up her words with action…