Ever Realm Chronicles Chapter 29: Adjusting to a new life, a sofia the first fanfic

Ever Realm Chronicles - a Sofia the First fanfic

Chapter 29: Adjusting to a new life

November 22, 1877

It was a Monday afternoon at Royal Prep. Seven-year-old Rachel had just arrived at Poise and Deportment class which was taught by Miss Merryweather. Rachel was early for class and was the only one in the room so far. As she sat down at her desk and readied her textbook, Rachel noticed something out the window and started staring at the school grounds.

"What has your attention, Princess Rachel?" a woman's voice asked.

Rachel looked up to see Miss Merryweather floating there.

"A deer, Miss Merryweather," Rachel answered. "Way over by the tree line."

Miss Merryweather looked out the window at the far-off tree line. After glancing for a few moments, Miss Merryweather finally saw the deer.

"Ah, yes," Miss Merryweather observed. "I wouldn't have seen it had you not pointed it out. You have incredibly keen eyesight."

"Thank you, Miss Merryweather," Rachel acknowledged, pleased. "It came in handy when I was on my own. I could see danger a mile off."

Miss Merryweather turned sad for a few moments.

"What is it, Miss Merryweather?" Rachel wanted to know, concerned.

"I think of what you had to go through, and it saddens me," Miss Merryweather admitted.

"Thanks for your concern," Rachel responded, touched. "Please don't be sad. I survived. There are flashbacks, of course, but I'm getting there."

"Of course, you are," Miss Merryweather smiled as she hugged Rachel. "And a fine job you're doing, too."

"Thank you," Rachel smiled back.

At that moment, seven-year-old Princess Holly of Alselle walked in. Holly had white skin and blonde hair. She was a young witchlet who had been adopted by King Armand and Queen Yvette of Alselle. Like Rachel, Holly also attended Hexley Hall as a member of Pepperton House. Also like Rachel, Holly had some classes at the Wendarby Institute, but as a member of Magwin House (Holly had chosen Magwin House because of Alselle's close alliance with its next-door neighbor Ladarvia where King Marrick and Queen Lucinda lived).

"Good afternoon Miss Merryweather, Rachel," Holly greeted.

"Good afternoon, Princess Holly, " Miss Merryweather happily responded. "Please take your seat. The class will be starting soon."

"Yes, Miss Merryweather," Holly acknowledged as she sat next to Rachel.

"Ready for today's class, Holly?" Rachel asked.

"Not really," Holly admitted. "Like you, I'm still pretty new to the ways of royalty."

"Well get through this together," Rachel promised.

Miss Merryweather smiled at the touching scene as the other students walked in and took their seats. Before long, it was time for that day's lesson - how to bow and curtsy. Normally, being that both Rachel and Holly were new to royalty, it would have been a difficult lesson for them. However, Rachel and Holly had some help from Candice who gave the two some lessons on how to curtsy.

"Princess Holly," Miss Merryweather directed. "Come to the front of the class and demonstrate how to curtsy."

"Go ahead," Rachel whispered in encouragement.

Holly walked to the front of the class and, although nervous, gave a rather decent curtsy.

"Your curtsy needs a little work, but overall, not bad," Miss Merryweather praised.

As Holly sat back down next to Rachel, other young princes and princesses took their turns.

"Princess Rachel," Miss Merryweather called out. "Come up and demonstrate how to curtsy."

"You got this," Holly whispered in encouragement.

Rachel walked to the front of the class and carefully gave a curtsy.

"Not bad, Princess Rachel," Miss Merryweather declared, pleased. "You need to be a little more flexible, but that will come in time."

Soon, the class was over, and with it, the end of the school day. Rachel and Holly said their goodbyes for the day and each was off home aboard their flying carriages. In a little while, Rachel's flying carriage reached Ornburgh Castle. It was quiet in the courtyard of the castle as Candice was hosting this year's annual Queens gathering inside of the castle. It was a yearly gathering, held at various castles in the Ever Realm at various times of the year depending on everybody's schedule. This was Candice's first time hosting the gathering. Every woman in the Ever Realm who was a queen, czarina, empress, sultana, or any other title equivalent to a queen was in attendance.

As Rachel stepped off of her flying carriage, Indigo walked up.

"Princess Rachel," Indigo greeted. "Your mother and grandmother have asked me to escort you to the main hall."

"But that's where the Queens gathering is being held," Rachel pointed out. "And I'm not a queen."

"Consider yourself to be a guest," Indigo smiled. "This way, please."

Indigo led Rachel to the castle's great hall. As Rachel waited outside of the main hall, Indigo stepped into the main hall.

"Ladies," Indigo announced, "Princess Rachel of Ornburgh."

As the female royalty clapped, Rachel made her way into the main hall. Candice and Violet motioned Rachel to come over to them.

"My daughter, Rachel," Candice happily introduced Rachel as a variety of female royalty gathered around Rachel, Candice, and Violet.

As Rachel, Candice, and Violet had a pleasant conversation with the female royalty gathered, Indigo smiled at the scene. It was a rewarding experience to be the co-Royal Steward of Ornburgh and to see happy moments like this. And Indigo had the best of both worlds. She was the co-Royal Steward of Ornburgh, and she was also a part-time teacher at the Wendarby Institute which allowed her to maintain her position as Deputy Sponsor for Magwin House.

As female royalty talked to Rachel, Candice, and Violet, standing nearby were Miranda, Amber, Sofia, and Lucinda.

"It's nice to see my girls, again," Miranda smiled at Amber, Sofia, and Lucinda as the three hugged Miranda.

"So, Mom?" Sofia started. "I heard Dad took you to a concert the other night."

"And how did you find that out?" Miranda asked, curious.

"We overheard talk at Voyager Command," Amber answered.

"We have company," Lucinda whispered as Vivian walked up.

"No need to stop on my account," Vivian smiled. "As soon as James and I got engaged, Voyager Command introduced themselves to me. I'm a Voyager like the rest of you. So, how was the Gordon Lightfoot concert?"

"It was excellent," Miranda smiled back. "It was his last concert which took place in 2022. We even got to meet Mr. Lightfoot. A nice man."

Flashback

It was October 30th of 2022 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Gordon Lightfoot's most recent concert had just concluded. As Roland and Miranda were getting ready to leave the concert area, a man in a suit and tie walked up to them.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am," the man started. "If you will follow me, Mr. Lightfoot would like to see you."

The man led Roland and Miranda to a room where Gordon Lightfoot was waiting.

"Ah, I was right," Gordon smiled upon seeing Roland. "You are the same person who returned my song lyrics to me back in 1974. A lucky thing you saw those lyrics fall out of my pocket. Turns out that song became one of my biggest hits."

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Lightfoot," Roland happily acknowledged.

"And who is this?" Gordon asked, looking at Miranda.

"This is my wife, Miranda," Roland answered.

"A pleasure, ma'am," Gordon happily acknowledged.

Gordon ordered some coffee, and he, Roland, and Miranda had a pleasant conversation. Gordon filled Roland and Miranda in on what he had been up to since 1974, and Roland and Miranda filled Gordon in on their life (of course, with an early 21st Century spin so Gordon wouldn't suspect they were time travelers nor former rulers of a kingdom). It was a wonderful way to spend an evening.

End of flashback, and back to the present.

"Sounds like the three of you had a good time," Amber happily remarked to Miranda.

"Yes," Miranda happily agreed. "And how is Colin?"

"He's three now," Amber reported about her son. "He's doing quite well."

"Good to hear," Miranda acknowledged before turning to Vivian. "And how are Jason and Tara?"

"They're at the terrible two's," Vivian reported about her and James' children. "But, James and I are handling it."

"If you can get past the terrible two's, you can get past anything," Amber advised with a chuckle.

"Zandar and I still have that to look forward to," Sofia remarked about her and Zandar's children. "Layla and Maria are just one-year-old."

"I know you and Zandar will do just fine," Miranda said in a reassuring voice.

"Marrick and I want to eventually have children," Lucinda reported. "It hasn't been easy with the Witch Revolutionary Front running amuck. Seems like I'm forever keeping them out of Ladarvia."

"I know you're up to the task," Miranda noted as she gently touched Lucinda's shoulder. "Although I imagine this Queens gathering must be like a vacation to you."

"It is," Lucinda admitted.

"So, Vivian?" Miranda asked. "How are you and James handling ruling Enchancia?"

"We're just taking it one day at a time," Vivian admitted. "Right now, we're in the middle of the educational enhancement program."

"I read about that in Enchancia Today," Miranda revealed. "I think it's wonderful how you and James are adding on to schools in Enchancia."

"It's something James and I feel very strongly about," Vivian started. "Education is the future, and adding on to our schools will serve our citizens well. Some of our schools are getting expanded to make way for more students, and all of our schools are getting additional curriculums to keep up with the times."

Early that evening

Activities at the Queens gathering were winding down, and Scarlett used the opportunity to take Rachel outside. Rachel followed as Scarlett took Rachel to the rear portion of the castle grounds.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from any activities at the Queens gathering?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"Don't worry, dear Rachel," Scarlett said in a gentle voice. "The truth be known, while I attend the Queens gathering every year, it's more out of a sense of official duty. I'd much rather be doing other things. I'm far more of a warrior than a dressed-up queen."

"I can understand that," Rachel said in an understanding way. "Almost everybody in there is wine, and I'm more or less ... beer."

"A good beer is something that stands out from the crowd," Scarlett smiled. "And I can see you growing up to be somebody who definitely stands out from the crowd."

Rachel smiled back, pleased with Scarlett's praise. In a few minutes, Scarlett and Rachel reached an open area where a cloth dummy holding a stick was set up.

"What is this?" Rachel asked, curious.

"Target practice," Scarlett explained. "You're already being taught basic wand magic at school, but I want to teach you something more advanced - a spell called Expelliarmus."

"Expelliarmus?" Rachel wanted to know, not familiar with the spell.

"A spell that allows you to disarm an opponent," Scarlett explained. "It allows you to knock a weapon out of an opponent's hand."

"Wow!" Rachel exclaimed, impressed.

"Want to give it a try?" Scarlett suggested.

"Yes," Rachel agreed.

"What you want to do is to knock the stick out of the cloth dummy's hand," Scarlett instructed. "Concentrate, point your wand at the cloth dummy's hand, and say Expelliarmus."

Rachel pointed her wand at the cloth dummy's hand and said "Expelliarmus" as the stick in the cloth dummy's hand flew away onto the ground.

"Excellent, Rachel," Scarlett said, pleased. "Now, let's try for something more powerful. Concentrate, point your wand at the cloth dummy, and say Expelliarmus as you summon as much magical power as you can."

Rachel again pointed her wand at the cloth dummy. Rachel then summoned as much magical power as she could and said "Expelliarmus" as the cloth dummy fell over onto the ground.

"Excellent, Rachel," Scarlett smiled. "Excellent."

At that same moment, loud clapping came from behind Rachel and Scarlett. The two looked behind them to see the attendees from the Queens gathering clapping in pride at Rachel. Everett and Candice then walked up to Rachel and hugged her.

"You did a fine job, Rachel," Everett said in pride.

"You make us very proud, Rachel," Candice praised.

"Thank you," Rachel responded, pleased, as she hugged Everett and Candice.

Everybody gathered smiled at the touching scene. In the distance, out of sight, was Chrysta.

"Looks like we have a future Protector in the making," Chrysta happily thought to herself as she flew off.

September 17, 1878

Queen Candice's Personal Diary: Tuesday, September 17, 1878.

It's been almost a year since Rachel came into our lives. Since that time, Rachel has grown into a fine eight-year-old girl. Her training with Scarlett has been going well, and starting with this school year, Rachel is going to Hexley Hall and the Wendarby Institute on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Her friend, Princess Holly of Alselle, has also switched over to the same schedule at Hexley Hall and the Wendarby Institute. Both also go to Royal Prep on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Their futures are bright.

I wish I could say things were bright in the Kingdom of Ladarvia. The Witch Revolutionary Front has been terrorizing Ladarvia with attack after attack.

It was a dark time in the Kingdom of Ladarvia. The latest issue of the newspaper Ladarvia Today reported the following:

Witch Terrorists Strike Again

The WRF (Witch Revolutionary Front) has struck again, this time hitting the Village of Ladarvia River. The WRF struck in the wee hours of the morning, destroying many homes in the process. The death toll stands at fourteen.

The WRF has for the past year been attacking human villages across the Ever Realm, blaming humans for past crimes against witchkind over the past few hundred years.

King Marrick of Ladarvia has expressed his deep regrets over the death and destruction that the WRF has brought to Ladarvia and has immediately begun a relief program to help Ladarvian victims of the WRF. Meanwhile, Queen Lucinda of Ladarvia has also expressed her deep regrets over WRF actions and has also said that the actions of the WRF do not reflect the opinion of the majority of the witch community. Queen Lucinda went on to say that relations between humans and witches have become very good over the past century and has labeled the WRF as a terrorist group bent on one thing, and one thing only - to cause trouble. The WRF responded by calling Queen Lucinda a traitor to her kind.

The Ministry of Magic has mounted a full-scale investigation into the WRF attacks and has vowed to prosecute WRF members to the fullest extent of the law.

It was morning in the Village of Ladarvia River when a royal carriage arrived on the scene. In the carriage was King Marrick of Ladarvia. Beside him was his wife, Queen Lucinda, who also served as the Official Royal Sorceress of Ladarvia.

"I really wish you had stayed at the castle, Lucinda," Marrick commented in a concerned tone. "The WRF already hates you for speaking out against them. I shudder to think what might happen if they discovered you out in the open."

"It's alright, Marrick," Lucinda reassured Marrick. "My place is among our people. Somebody has to show that not all witches are evil."

"Our people love you, Lucinda," Marrick said. "They know you and the majority of the witch community are not responsible for the actions of a group of terrorists. I do, however, worry about your safety should those terrorists show up while you're out in the open."

"I helped fight off Neila, and then what was left of her followers," Lucinda started. "I didn't run then, and I'm certainly not running now. I'll be damned if I'm running away from the rabble that calls themselves the WRF."

"I just don't want to see you in danger, Lucinda," Marrick urged. "I love you very much."

"I love you too, Marrick," Lucinda smiled. "I'll be okay."

Marrick and Lucinda stepped off of their carriage as some guards from Ladarvia Castle dismounted their horses. Marrick and Lucinda looked at the sight before them. There were many damaged and destroyed buildings within their eyesight. Upon looking at the sight, Lucinda was so sad about what had happened, and a tear came from one of her eyes.

A crowd started to gather nearby and saw Lucinda's sadness. The crowd's hearts went out to Lucinda. They knew she was a kind and caring Queen, and they saw how sick she was over what had happened. Suddenly, a man came running from a side street.

"We have a child trapped in the rubble of a building!" the man shouted. "We need all the help we can get!"

Marrick, Lucinda, the guards, and the crowd ran over to where the child was trapped.

"It's a girl who's trapped," the man reported. "She can get her arm through a hole in the rubble, but that's about it."

Lucinda, without having to think about it, raced over and held the girl's hand.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Lucinda reassured the girl. "Just keep holding on to my hand."

Using her other hand, Lucinda brought out her sterling silver wand, and while holding the girl's hand, waved the wand over her head. Lucinda and the girl disappeared, only to appear a few moments later in the middle of the street.

"There you go, sweetheart," Lucinda smiled at the girl. "It's alright. You're out now."

"Thank you," the girl cried as she threw her arms around Lucinda.

Everybody in the crowd cheered. Then, a medical team came rushing over to check out the girl. Suddenly, there was a blast a few feet away, and a puff of smoke appeared in front of Lucinda. Out of the puff of smoke walked a dark-haired white-skinned witch - Martina, a field commander with the WRF.

Lucinda motioned the medical team to take the girl away. Lucinda then looked at Martina.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here!" Lucinda snapped at Martina.

"And you have a lot of nerve speaking against the WRF!" Martina snapped back. "You're a traitor to your own kind!"

"You and yours are the traitors!" Lucinda glared at Martina. "Most of us in the witch community have moved forward, living in peace with those around us. You and yours want to reopen old wounds!"

"And why not?!" Martina countered. "There are hundreds of years of crimes against witch kind that need to be avenged here in the Ever Realm and the other dimension - witch hunts, the burnings, and let's not forget Salem!"

"All of those things are in the past," Lucinda said as she tried to reason with Martina. "Those times are long since gone."

"I will not hear your lies!" Martina screamed. "We will have satisfaction!"

"Enough!" Lucinda snapped. "I am placing you under arrest for acts of terror against innocent people!"

"By what authority?!" Martina demanded to know.

"By my authority as Queen of Ladarvia," Lucinda started. "And if that isn't enough authority for you, then by my authority as Official Royal Sorceress of Ladarvia. Or, if you like, as a Protector of the Ever Realm. And, if those things aren't enough, also by my authority as an official investigator for the Ministry of Magic's Auror Office. In any case, you're under arrest!".

"We'll see about that!" Martina snapped as she produced her wand.

Suddenly, a rock hit Martina in the head, but the rock didn't come from Lucinda. Everybody looked to see an eight-year-old white-skinned witch wearing glasses emerge from the crowd.

"YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!" the eight-year-old witch screamed at Martina as the witch girl threw another rock at Martina's head. The rock throw knocked Martina to the ground. The witch girl then raced over, and before Martina could get up, the witch girl started kicking Martina. Martina was taken completely off guard at the attack.

"NOW I'LL KILL YOU!" the witch girl screamed at Martina as the witch girl picked up a bigger rock.

"Wait!" King Marrick shouted as he ran up to the girl. "Do you really want to become like her?"

"But she killed my parents because they wouldn't support the WRF," the girl said to Marrick as tears formed in her eyes. "They were the only family I had. I have nobody now."

Martina was about to get up when Lucinda raised her wand and fired. The blast from Lucinda's wand knocked Martina out. Lucinda then went over to Marrick and the girl.

"I'm so sorry about your parents," Lucinda gently said to the girl. "When did it happen?"

"About five months ago," the girl sadly answered.

"You've been on your own since that time?!" Marrick asked in shock.

"What's your name, young one?" Lucinda gently asked the girl.

"Kendra," the girl answered. "Kendra Cosmingus."

"If you'll wait here for a minute, I want to talk to Queen Lucinda," Marrick gently said to Kendra.

"Yes, King Marrick," Kendra responded.

Marrick took Lucinda aside. "Lucinda," Marrick started. "I can't just leave Kendra out here to fend for herself. And I can't see her in an orphanage either. I think we should adopt her."

"I feel the same way, Marrick," Lucinda smiled as she threw her arms around Marrick.

Marrick and Lucinda then walked over to Kendra.

"Sweetheart," Marrick gently said to Kendra as he knelt down. "Queen Lucinda and I are so very sorry over your loss."

"Thank you," Kendra sadly acknowledged.

"We have something we would like to run by you," Marrick said to Kendra. "Queen Lucinda and I have just discussed it, and we'd very much like to adopt you."

"Me?" Kendra asked in shock.

"Yes," Lucinda smiled at Kendra. "We can't bring back your parents, but we can give you the next best thing - we can be your adoptive parents. You won't have to be on your own anymore. You would have a family, a home, and love."

"Please say yes," Marrick smiled at Kendra. "We'd love to have you."

"Yes," Kendra cried with happiness as she fell into Marrick and Lucinda's arms.

The crowd applauded, smiling at the touching scene.

A week later

A week passed. Martina had been taken into custody and was tried by a magical court. She was found guilty of terrorist acts, and sentenced to Azkaban. A number of WRF members had also been tracked down and awaited trial. Meanwhile, Kendra's adoption to Marrick and Lucinda had taken place.

At Ladarvia Castle, it was morning. In Kendra's bedroom, Kendra was waking up. As she woke up, she saw Marrick and Lucinda standing next to her bed.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Marrick smiled at Kendra.

"Good morning ... Dad," Kendra smiled back. Kendra was still getting used to being a member of the Ladarvian royal family.

"Good morning, Kendra," Lucinda smiled.

"Good morning ... Mom," Kendra smiled back.

"Today's the big day," Lucinda said to Kendra. "Later this afternoon is your introduction to the royal court."

"I hope I'm up to this?" Kendra started. "I don't want to let the two of you down."

"You'll do fine," Lucinda smiled as she hugged Kendra.

"I'll see the two of you in the dining room," Marrick smiled as he left the room.

Lucinda helped Kendra out of bed and gently placed Kendra's glasses on Kendra's face. "There we go," Lucinda smiled. "Let's get you ready for the day."

Lucinda and Kendra walked over to Kendra's large walk-in closet. "What would you like to wear?" Lucinda asked.

Kendra spotted a white floral print gown. "I'd like to wear that, please," Kendra smiled.

"Of course," Lucinda smiled back.

As Lucinda helped Kendra get dressed, the two of them had a conversation.

"Queen Lucinda ... I mean, Mom," Kendra started. "I hope I'm not causing trouble by being here. After all, I'm a witch".

"As am I, sweetheart," Lucinda reassured Kendra. "You'll find that the people of Ladarvia are very accepting. They accepted me as a witch when Marrick and I married. And they'll accept you, too."

"How do you know?" Kendra asked, curious.

"Because they already have," Lucinda smiled as she produced a stack of letters addressed to Lucinda. Lucinda then handed the stack of letters to Kendra. "See for yourself."

Kendra started reading through the letters, which were well wishes that had been sent to Lucinda over the past week. One letter read:

Bless you, and King Marrick for adopting that sweet girl. We'll be very proud to call her our Princess.

Another letter read:

Wishing you, King Marrick, and your new daughter all our best. We look forward to seeing your new daughter grow into a fine young woman and seeing her reach her full magical potential.

Still, another letter read:

Please pass along our best wishes to your new daughter. We wish Princess Kendra all the best life has to offer.

At that point, Kendra and Lucinda hugged. After Kendra put on a silver tiara, and a pair of white shoes, she and Lucinda walked downstairs for breakfast.

After breakfast

After breakfast, as Kendra went out to the castle courtyard to enjoy the sunshine, Marrick walked up to Lucinda.

"I just received this letter from the Scarlett Warrior," Marrick said to Lucinda.

Lucinda looked at the letter, which read:

My dearest Marrick and Lucinda;

I will be visiting you this morning at eleven. I have a gift I would very much like to give to your new daughter.

Sincerely, Scarlett.

"It looks like Scarlett has taken an interest in Kendra," Lucinda observed.

"I wonder what the gift is?" Marrick asked.

"Don't know," Lucinda answered. "But knowing Scarlett, it's probably something wonderful."

At eleven that morning, Marrick, Lucinda, and Kendra were in the throne room of Ladarvia Castle when a male servant walked in.

"The Scarlett Warrior to see you, your majesties," the male servant announced.

The Scarlett Warrior walked into the throne room. Scarlett was wearing her trademark skin-tight scarlet outfit that hugged her body, scarlet knee-length boots, scarlet elbow-length gloves, and a scarlet mask on her eyes, with the eyes still being visible.

"King Marrick, Queen Lucinda, Princess Kendra," Scarlett greeted the three royals.

"Scarlett," Lucinda smiled as she and Scarlett hugged. "It's good to see you again, old friend."

"It's good to see you too, Lucinda," Scarlett smiled back. "I have a gift I would like to give Princess Kendra."

"Of course," Lucinda smiled as she motioned Kendra to come over.

"Hello, Princess Kendra," Scarlett smiled. "I'm the Scarlett Warrior, but you may call me Scarlett."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Scarlett," Kendra smiled back.

"I have something for you," Scarlett said as she handed Kendra an aquamarine jewel case. "Use it well, precious one."

Kendra opened the jewel case and discovered ... an amulet, shaped like Lucinda's amulet. The only difference was that Kendra's amulet had an aquamarine gemstone, instead of a dark blue gemstone like Lucinda's.

"I call this the Amulet of Cosmingus, in honor of your birth parents," Scarlett announced to Kendra. "It has the same magical qualities as Queen Lucinda's Amulet of Tlara."

"Thank you, Scarlett," Kendra smiled, touched.

Lucinda and Marrick smiled, touched that Scarlett had given Kendra such a special gift.

That afternoon

The Ladarvian royal court, along with other royals and important guests from outside the kingdom, were gathered in the ballroom of Ladarvia Castle. A man stepped forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the man started, "I present to you Princess Kendra of Ladarvia."

Kendra walked onto the floor of the ballroom, wearing her white floral print gown, her silver tiara ... and the Amulet of Cosmingus. Everybody clapped as Kendra walked onto the floor of the ballroom. Kendra smiled shyly as Marrick and Lucinda walked up to her.

"May I have this dance?" Marrick asked Kendra.

"Yes, Dad," Kendra smiled.

As the orchestra started playing a waltz, Marrick and Kendra started their dance. Lucinda and everybody else in the ballroom smiled at the touching scene.

"Kendra's such a lovely young lady," a woman's voice came from behind Lucinda.

Lucinda turned around to see Sultana Sofia standing there. Sofia had married Prince Zandar of Tangu. When Zandar's parents retired as Sultan and Sultana, Zandar and Sofia had become Sultan and Sultana of Tangu.

Lucinda and Sofia hugged.

"I see Scarlett gave Kendra an amulet," Sofia observed.

"Yes," Lucinda happily acknowledged.

Lucinda and Sofia smiled at each other as they watched Marrick and Kendra dance. In a few minutes, Marrick and Kendra's dance ended, and the two walked over to Lucinda and Sofia.

"Kendra," Lucinda started, "I'd like to introduce you to your new Aunt - Sultana Sofia of Tangu".

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sultana Sofia," Kendra smiled.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Kendra," Sofia smiled back. "There are some other people who would like to meet you."

Sofia motioned some people to walk over. In a few moments, Candice and eight-year-old Rachel, Queen Yvette and eight-year-old Holly, and Empress Jade and her eight-year-old adopted daughter Ying.

"This is Queen Candice and Princess Rachel from Ornburgh," Sofia began. "This is Queen Yvette and Princess Holly from Alselle, and this is Empress Jade and Princess Ying from Weiling."

"A pleasure to meet you, Kendra," Rachel warmly greeted.

"Welcome, Kendra," Holly smiled.

"An honor to meet you, Princess Kendra," Ying shyly greeted. "Forgive me, but I've only been royalty for a month. I'm still feeling my way through official functions."

"You're doing fine, Ying," Jade said in a reassuring voice. "After what you've been through, you're making the transition to royalty quite well."

"What you've been through?" Kendra asked, curious.

"Like you, Ying's parents were murdered by the WRF," Jade explained to Kendra. "She was on her own for a few months before my husband and I found her."

"I'm so sorry," Kendra said in sympathy to Ying before perking up. "I see you wear glasses like me."

"Yes," Ying responded. "They have magical enhancements."

"Mine, too," Kendra responded. "Then you're a witch?"

"Yes, I'm a witch," Ying confirmed.

"Holly and I are witches, too," Rachel smiled. "And we're also adopted like you are, Kendra."

"Really?" Kendra wanted to know, interested.

"Thanks to the WRF," Rachel said quietly. "My birth parents, and Holly's birth parents, were also murdered by the WRF. I was on my own for a while before being found by my adoptive parents."

"And I was found by authorities and put into an orphanage," Holly revealed. "Then my now adoptive parents found out about me and adopted me. I was glad to get out of that orphanage."

"You see, Kendra," Rachel began, "while you, me, and Ying had to rough it out on our own for a while, Holly didn't have it any better. In the orphanage, because she was a witch, Holly wasn't treated well."

"But, I survived," Holly managed to smile. "We've all survived."

"Yes, you have," Queen Yvette said as she hugged Holly. "You all have. But enough of the sadness. This is a time of celebration."

"Indeed," Candice agreed. "We have a new princess with Kendra, and the WRF has been thinned out."

"We still have the WRF as a threat, but it's a lesser threat today," Lucinda remarked.

At that moment, King Marrick of Ladarvia, King Armand of Alselle, King Everett of Ornburgh, and Emperor Jin of Weiling walked over with a black-skinned family of three - King Antone, Queen Olivia, and eight-year-old Princess Cassie from the Kingdom of Javella.

"Kendra," Marrick started, "allow me to introduce you to King Antone, Queen Olivia, and Princess Cassie of Javella."

"A pleasure to meet you Your Majesties, Princess," Kendra greeted as she attempted to curtsey. "I apologize. I'm not yet totally up on royal protocol."

"You did fine, Princess Kendra," Antone said in a reassuring voice.

"All you need is a little more practice," Olivia said, also in a reassuring voice.

"It took me a while to get the hang of how to curtsey," Cassie revealed, "and that with me being born royal. You'll get there."

"Thank you," Kendra gratefully said to Antone, Olivia, and Cassie.

Everybody looked on as Rachel, Holly, Ying, and Cassie got to know Kendra better. Standing further off looking at the scene were Scarlett and Chrysta.

"Quite a group of young princesses," Chrysta remarked to Scarlett.

"Indeed," Scarlett agreed. "And quite special, too."

"What don't I know?" Chrysta asked, curious.

"That group of princesses have a destiny together," Scarlett revealed. "Let's just say a birdie from the future told me."

"I understand - a Voyager," Chrysta winked in acknowledgment.

"I keep forgetting that you have knowledge of Voyagers, thanks to Dorrie and Candice," Scarlett remembered.

"So, what kind of destiny are we talking about?" Chrysta wanted to know. "I'm looking at the possibility of training Rachel as a Protector."

"You'll want to consider training all of them," Scarlett advised. "They're going to grow into remarkable warriors."

"I can see Rachel, Holly, Ying, and Kendra becoming that," Chrysta observed. "But Princess Cassie? She's pure-born royalty. Tea parties, gowns, the whole nine yards."

"Not really," Scarlett corrected. "Cassie, while pure-born royalty, is much more down to earth than a lot of pure-born royalty. Plus, her family has a magical and warrior background. A fine candidate for Protector training."

"I see," Chrysta acknowledged. "I know you're currently training Rachel and now Holly in the fighting arts, but what about Ying, Cassie, and Kendra?"

"I think it's time to train all of them as a group," Scarlett suggested. "They need to be ready so they can eventually form what will be known as Princess Force."

"Princess Force?" Chrysta wanted to know.

"A force that will eventually go after the WRF," Scarlett informed Chrysta. "My Voyager contact told me, along with giving me an amulet for each of them."

"They're all amulet holders?!" Chrysta asked in amazement.

"Yes," Scarlett proudly answered. "I was told that the amulets are from my future self who found more material to forge amulets from. Funny how time works."

At that moment, a twenty-two-year-old maid carrying a tray walked up to Scarlett and Chrysta. "Appetizers, ladies?" the maid asked.

"I was wondering if you would show up," Scarlett remarked to the maid before turning to Chrysta. "This is the Voyager contact I was talking about."

"A pleasure to meet you," Chrysta smiled at the maid. "I didn't catch your name."

"As Scarlett knows, I choose to keep my identity a secret," the maid responded. "It's better for the timeline that way."

"Oh, I understand completely," Chrysta acknowledged.

"You come here with further instructions?" Scarlett asked the maid, curious.

"Just keeping an eye on things," the maid winked. "Just do what you're planning to do, and the future will turn out nicely. Must be off. More appetizers to pass out."

The maid walked off. In a few moments, the maid walked into an empty room and closed the door behind her. The maid then concentrated and changed her appearance from a maid to ... a twenty-two-year-old Rachel.

"My Transformation Manipulator is working as it should," Rachel thought to herself. "Nobody recognized me."

Rachel then opened up her Omni. The green light on her Omni flashed on, indicating that everything was normal with the timeline.

"Everything is going to be okay here," Rachel happily thought to herself as she adjusted the dials on her Omni. In a few moments, Rachel pressed a button on her Omni and disappeared into thin air on her way back to Voyager Command.

(End of Chapter 29).

Behind the scenes

In this installment of "Behind the scenes", we'll take a look at our newest princesses.

Princess Cassie Ademola of Javella: Wears the Amulet of Javella which is named after her kingdom. The Amulet of Javella has a purple gemstone. Cassie attends Royal Prep and Hexley Hall. At Hexley, Cassie is connected to Pepperton House. Cassie has a split schedule when it comes to attending Royal Prep and Hexley Hall. Cassie attends Hexley Hall in the morning and attends Royal Prep in the afternoon. Fun fact: Cassie has become a skilled baker who likes to make bread and rolls.

Princess Holly Ducornus-Allard of Alselle: Wears the Amulet of Ducornus which is named after her birth parents. The Amulet of Ducornus has a yellow gemstone. Holly attends Royal Prep, Hexley Hall, and the Wendarby Institute. At Hexley Hall, Holly is connected to Pepperton House. At the Wendarby Institute, Holly is connected to Magwin House. Holly attends Royal Prep on Tuesdays and Thursdays and attends Hexley and Wendarby on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fun fact: Holly has been gifted a small cottage on the grounds of Alselle Castle where she can relax and take part in one of her favorite things - cooking.

Princess Kendra Cosmingus-DeWinters of Ladarvia: Wears the Amulet of Cosmingus which is named after her birth parents. The Amulet of Cosmingus has an aquamarine gemstone. Kendra will be attending Royal Prep, Hexley Hall, and the Wendarby Institute. At Hexley Hall, Kendra will be connected to Pepperton House. At the Wendarby Institute, Kendra will be connected to Magwin House. Kendra will attend Royal Prep on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will attend Hexley and Wendarby on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fun fact: Kendra likes to cook and is being taught advanced cooking skills by the Ladarvia Castle kitchen staff.

Princess Mofara Wang Ying of Weiling: Wears the Amulet of Mofara which is named after her birth parents. Like Rachel's Amulet of Delphtor, Ying's Amulet of Mofara has a rose quartz gemstone. Ying attends Royal Prep, Hexley Hall, and the Wendarby Institute. At Hexley Hall, Ying is connected to Pepperton House. At the Wendarby Institute, Ying is connected to Cosmarune House. Ying attends Royal Prep on Tuesdays and Thursdays and attends Hexley and Wendarby on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fun fact: Ying's birth mother was a midwife, and Ying would like to follow in her birth mother's footsteps.

Princess Rachel Delphtor-Beckenbauer of Ornburgh: Wears the Amulet of Delphtor which is named after her birth parents. Like Ying's Amulet of Mofara, Rachel's Amulet of Delphtor has a rose quartz gemstone. Rachel attends Royal Prep, Hexley Hall, and the Wendarby Institute. At Hexley Hall, Rachel is connected to Pepperton House. At the Wendarby Institute, Rachel is connected to Cosmarune House. Rachel attends Royal Prep on Tuesdays and Thursdays and attends Hexley and Wendarby on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fun facts: Rachel is a member of the House of Cosmarune; Rachel admires Queen Candice's skill as a midwife, and would like to follow in Candice's footsteps as a midwife; Rachel likes to cook and clean, and is in the process of applying to be a junior member of the Witch Service Guild.

Author's notes

Azkaban, Expelliarmus, The Ministry of Magic, and the Auror Office are from "Harry Potter".

Enchancia Today is a newspaper mentioned in "Sofia the First".

Gabriel Snyder wanted to see what Enchancia was like under James and Vivian's rule, so I came up with the educational enhancement program as an example of something that was happening under James and Vivian's rule.

Having Roland and Miranda meet Gordon Lightfoot was based on an idea by Mark Thompson. Meanwhile, Roland meeting Gordon Lightfoot in 1974 is covered in Chapter 2 of my story "Glimpses".

Ladarvia Today is a newspaper I created for use in my stories.

Layla (A.K.A. Princess Layla of Tangu) is a character created by MisuteriTenshi / SailorWednesdayMercury and is used in my stories with the permission of MisuteriTenshi / SailorWednesdayMercury.

Nobody ever came up with a last name for the royal family of Weiling, so I've given them the last name of Wang.

Omni, Voyager, and Voyager Command are from the "Voyagers!" TV series.

Princess Holly's magical education was brought about because of a discussion between myself and Brigade701.

The Kingdom of Alselle is a kingdom I created for "Ever Realm Chronicles". Alselle has French leanings.

The Kingdom of Javella is a kingdom I created for "Ever Realm Chronicles".

The Kingdom of Ladarvia is a kingdom I created for my stories.

The Kingdom of Ornburgh is where Prince Frederick and his family live. The kingdom was never given a name in "Sofia the First", so I named it Ornburgh.

The Kingdom of Tangu is from "Sofia the First".

The Kingdom of Weiling is from "Sofia the First".

The Scarlett Warrior (A.K.A. Scarlett) (A.K.A. Queen Scarlett) (A.K.A. Queen Scarlett Katherine Felchenerow) is a character created by Jake H Voronkov and is used in my stories with permission from Jake H Voronkov.

Disclaimer

"Harry Potter" and everything associated with it © J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Arthur A. Levine Books, Little Brown, Heyday Films, 1492 Pictures, Patalex IV Productions, and Warner Brothers Pictures.

Layla and the other original ideas from MisuteriTenshi / SailorWednesdayMercury are the property of MisuteriTenshi / SailorWednesdayMercury and are used in my stories with the permission of MisuteriTenshi / SailorWednesdayMercury.

"Sofia the First" and everything associated with it © Craig Gerber, Jamie Mitchell, Disney Television Animation, Toiion Animation Studios, Team TO, and Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

The Scarlett Warrior and the other original ideas from Jake H Voronkov are the property of Jake H Voronkov and are used in my stories with the permission of Jake H Voronkov.

"Voyagers!" and everything associated with it © James D. Parriot Productions, Universal Television (MCA), and Scholastic Productions.

I only own King Antone, King Armand, King Marrick, Ladarvia Today, Magwin House, Martina, Neila, Pepperton House, Prince Colin, Prince Jason, Princess Cassie, Princess Force, Princess Holly, Princess Kendra, Princess Maria, Princess Rachel, Princess Tara, Princess Ying, Queen Olivia, Queen Yvette, the Amulet of Cosmingus, the Amulet of Delphtor, the Amulet of Ducornus, the Amulet of Javella, the Amulet of Mofara, the Amulet of Tlara, the Kingdom of Alselle, the Kingdom of Javella, the Kingdom of Ladarvia, the Transformation Manipulator, the Village of Ladarvia River, the Wendarby Institute, and the Witch Service Guild.