Replacement Singer

Sofia stood in the wings, waiting for her turn to go on stage. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. This wasn't exactly where she'd planned to be this evening. She was supposed to be in the audience with her family, but…

That morning…

"You lost your voice!" Sofia exclained as she looked at her sister, who was lying on her bed.

"I'm afraid so, Princess Sofia," the royal physician told her. He had been summoned shortly after Amber woke up unable to speak. He looked around at the rest of the royal family, who were gathered in the blonde princess's room. "I believe Princess Amber has overused her voice."

"Oh, good," James quipped. "The castle will be blessedly quiet for a few days." He grinned and ducked when his twin tossed a pillow at him. "I'm joking, sis. Calm down."

"Is there anything we can do for her?" Roland asked the doctor.

"Not much can be done, Your Majesty," the older man replied. "But if she refrains from speaking, her voice should be as good as new in a few days."

A few minutes later, after everyone else left, Sofia sat on the bed next to her sister. "I'm sorry, Amber," she said sympathetically. "I know you worked hard for tonight's contest." The contest was the Annual All–School Singing Competition, a competition in which each secondary school selected the best singer in its choir to sing solo and compete in a friendly contest for the year's best singer. Sofia and Amber were currently both in Ever Realm Academy's choir, and, much to the blonde's excitement, Amber had been chosen for that year's contest. For two weeks the older princess had practiced singing every chance she got, sometimes in the middle of the night. But now it seemed that all that practice was for naught. "This is so unfair," Sofia lamented. "Why did this have to happen today of all days?" She sighed and flopped back onto Amber's mountainous pile of pillows. "And it's too late for the school to pick someone else, so I guess ERA won't be in the contest this year."

Amber opened her mouth and attempted to speak, but no sound came out. Frustrated, she sat up and grabbed a small sketchbook and pen from her nightstand. Flipping the book open to a blank page, she hurriedly scribbled something before ripping the page out.

Sofia blinked when her sister thrust the paper in front of her face. She stared at the single word Amber had written.

You.

That afternoon…

Cedric sighed heavily and turned away from his work table where he had been attempting to label vials full of potion ingredients. He eyed his apprentice, who had been pacing the workshop ever since she arrived fifteen minutes ago. Cedric didn't even know why she was there. They didn't have a magic lesson that day due to an event the royal family was attending that evening. Sofia did visit him most days, and he enjoyed her company. But her pacing was beginning to get on his nerves, especially since he couldn't concentrate on his work with the constant clacking of her low heeled shoes on the stone floor.

"Sofia, my dear," he called, trying to keep his voice calm. "Would you kindly stop that blasted pacing?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric. I'm just so nervous." She finally stopped and turned to face him. "Something awful has happened. Amber lost her voice, and—"

"I fail to see how that is a bad thing," he interrupted, snickering. "Princess Amber has been making so much noise for last two weeks. The silence will be a blessing." He grinned sheepishly when she gave him a pointed look. "I'm just saying…"

"You're as bad as James." She rolled her eyes and walked over to sit on a stool beside him. "There's a singing contest tonight. Amber was supposed to be in it…" And she proceeded to tell him all about the competition. She explained that Amber had been chosen to represent Ever Realm Academy, and, now that the blonde was unable to perform, the school would have to drop out of the competition because it was too late to find a replacement for her. Finally, she told him how Amber had insisted that she, Sofia, sing in her stead.

"And you're nervous about singing in your sister's place," Cedric surmised.

Sofia nodded, staring down at her hands folded in her lap.

"Sofia, why would you be nervous about that?" He smiled kindly and reached over to pat her shoulder. "You've performed for a crowd numerous times: giving speeches, dancing in recitals, even putting on magic shows with me. You've always done quite impressively. Why is this time so different?"

"Because, Mr. Cedric, I don't sing as well as Amber—"

"Oh, pish posh," He waved a dismissive hand. "You don't need to sing like Amber. Just sing like Sofia."

The princess sighed and gave her friend a hopeful look. "Do you have a spell that can make me a better singer?"

Cedric's eyes widened at the question that was so similar to the one she'd asked a few years ago. Do you have a spell that can make me a good dancer? That had been the first time she'd asked him for help, and it was the first time he'd tricked her in order to try to get her amulet. He shook his head. "No, Sofia," he said firmly. "That would be cheating. Besides…" He turned away as his face turned a light shade of pink. "I think you sing beautifully."

Sofia gasped, a bright smile crossing her face for the first time that day. "Really, Mr. Cedric? You mean that?"

"I don't say things I don't mean, my dear." He chuckled softly as she leaned over and hugged him. He returned the sentiment, patting her back.

"Thanks, Mr. Cedric." She sat up, smiling happily. "I always feel better after talking to you. Will you come to the show to hear me sing?"

"Well, I…" Cedric paused. He didn't really have any plans for the evening, and he certainly wouldn't have wanted to go to a school competition to listen to a bunch of teenagers sing. He wanted to say no, but Sofia was giving him the look that she seemed to reserve just for him. He sighed heavily. "Very well. If you want me there, I'll come."

"Yay!" she cheered, jumping up from the stool and giving him a quick hug before skipping toward the workshop door. "I guess I should go practice before we leave. See you later, Mr. Cedric."

The sorcerer groaned as he turned back to his table to continue his task of labeling vials. "I really need to invent an earplug spell," he muttered to himself, not bothering to hide the small smile that formed on his lips. "This should be interesting."

Present…

So there she was, standing in the wings waiting for her turn to sing. Amber had given her a note to give to Ever Realm Academy's headmistress that explained the situation and requested that Sofia be allowed to replace her. Surprisingly, the woman had readily agreed to the request, telling Sofia that her angelic voice deserved to be heard.

Sofia tuned out the current singer, a boy from Chivalry Hall, who was singing a lively song about being a knight. She mentally went over the song she was planning to sing. Of course, she knew the song by heart. It was the same song Amber was going to sing, and they'd sung it together many times over the last couple of weeks. She was about as ready for this as she could be. She didn't expect to win, but it was something she could do for her sister.

The auburn haired princess was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a familiar and beautiful voice that seemed to fill the entire auditorium. Looking toward center stage, she smiled when she saw Clio standing there in a pink gown with a billowing skirt. Clio had won the competition for The School of Performing Arts for the last couple of years, and as Sofia listened to the opera song her friend had chosen, she could understand why. Clio's voice was powerful and beautiful. It had the ability to transport the listener to a whole new world.

"Princess Sofia of Enchancia."

Sofia startled upon hearing her name called. She had been so caught up in Clio's song that she hadn't even heard the applause for the Corinthian princess. She looked toward the center of the stage, where ERA's headmistress stood waiting for her. Taking one last calming breath, Sofia plastered a smile on her face and stepped out of the wings, flinching when someone—probably James—whistled loudly. She walked up to the woman, who gave her a gentle smile before producing a wand and pointing it at Sofia's throat, murmuring a spell that would amplify the princess's voice. Then she nodded and moved away, leaving Sofia standing alone on the stage.

The princess gazed out at the audience. It was easy to spot her family and Cedric in the second row. Her parents gave her encouraging smiles while James gave her a thumbs up. Amber leaned forward and waved, not at all seeming disappointed that she wasn't the one on the stage. Beside the blonde girl, Cedric sat calmly. He caught Sofia's eye and winked. She beamed and winked back. As the enchanted instruments on the stage behind her started to play, Sofia began to sing, her voice sweet and clear.

"Tell me I'm crazy, maybe I know.

But I believe in happy endings.

I know it's crazy, but still even so.

I believe in happy endings.

Just as I believe in you, my friend.

I believe things will work out in the end…"

…

Sofia didn't win the competition, but she hadn't expected to. What she wasn't expecting, however, was to get second place after Clio. Amber seemed pleased with the outcome, evidenced by the huge smile and tight hug she gave her sister.

Later, after bidding everyone good night, Sofia made her way to her bedroom. The day had definitely not gone the way she had imagined it would when she woke up that morning. She had been looking forward to hearing Amber sing in the contest, but all that had changed in the blink of an eye, and Sofia had found herself on the stage in her sister's place. It was just one way life could change unexpectedly…

"You did marvelous tonight," a voice said softly, interrupting the princess's train of thoughts.

Sofia blinked and looked up, smiling when she saw Cedric standing outside her bedroom door, one hand behind his back. "Thanks Mr. Cedric." She took the last few steps and stood in front of him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I just wanted to give you these." From behind his back, he withdrew a bouquet of yellow roses and handed it to her. "I enjoyed your performance. Even if you didn't win, you are a winner to me."

"Aw, Mr. Cedric," she beamed as she accepted the flowers and inhaled their sweet fragrance. "You're so sweet."

"Only to you, Sofia," he said, blushing lightly.

She giggled and moved forward, hugging him with one arm. "Thanks for being at the show."

"I didn't really have a choice, did I?" he joked, chuckling as he returned the hug. "But now that it's all over, the castle will be blissfully quiet."

"Oh, Mr. Cedric…" she laughed as she released him.

After saying good night to the sorcerer, Sofia entered her bedroom and rang for Violet. She asked the maid to find a vase for the roses before helping her out of the gown she had worn for that evening's performance.

Sofia fell asleep with a smile on her face. The day had gone unexpectedly, but it had ended well.

A/N: PHEW! This story is finally done after I've worked on it on and off for over a year. This was originally going to be my entry for the 2021 STF Ship Appreciation Week prompt Music, but as I was writing I realized that it didn't seem very shippy, so I wrote another story for that prompt, and this one went to my WiPs folder. The song Sofia sings in here is I Believe in Happy Endings from the '80s Jem. Call it a tribute to one of my favorite shows. Thanks for reading.