Ever Realm Chronicles - a Sofia the First fanfic

Chapter 12: A Weekend in February

Song in this chapter: a slightly rewritten version of "Lullaby for a Soldier (Arms of the Angels)" from "Sons of Anarchy".

February 24, 1872

It was a Saturday night at Enchancia Castle. In eighteen-year-old Sofia's bedroom, Sofia and eleven-year-old Hikari were relaxing as they drank hot chocolate.

"This is nice," Hikari smiled.

"It is," Sofia smiled back. "How are you finding life here at the castle?"

"This is all such a wonderful dream come true," Hikari happily answered. "Having a loving family, being a princess, having Gatomon, attending Royal Prep, and soon to be attending the Wendarby Institute. I never knew life could be so good."

"I'm so happy things are working out for you," Sofia smiled as she held Hikari's hand. "We're so very glad you're here."

"I love it here," Hikari said, grateful. "You've all been so kind to me."

"It's very easy being kind to a wonderful girl like you," Sofia happily responded. "We wish you all the happiness in the world."

"Thank you, Sofia," Hikari acknowledged, pleased.

"I hear Princess Elsie of Yensid will be attending the Wendarby Institute," Sofia commented.

"Yes," Hikari happily acknowledged. "She wanted to be in the same school as me. She's been accepted into Cosmarune House."

"Ah!" Sofia exclaimed with a smile. "That's why Elsie met with Dorrie and Candice a while back."

"Dorrie and Candice put in a good word for her with their Aunt Colette who is House Sponsor for Cosmarune House," Hikari revealed. "Elsie wants to study nursing, and the Wendarby Institute will be offering courses for those wanting to eventually go to school at the Hogsmeade Medical College."

"That's nice," Sofia smiled. "I've heard Cosmarune House will sponsor magical medical courses, inspired by Violet, Dorrie, and Candice's midwife activities."

"That's why Elsie wanted to get into Cosmarune House," Hikari explained. "Those magical medical courses will be available to all students, but those belonging to Cosmarune House will get priority when it comes time to place students in those classes."

"How do you feel about you and Elsie belonging to different houses?" Sofia asked, curious.

"I'm just happy that Elsie and I will be going to the same school," Hikari admitted. "Even with me belonging to Magwin House and Elsie belonging to Cosmarune House, we're still best friends. Nothing will change that. Besides, the two of us will be in many standard classes together."

"Elsie has come far," Sofia commented.

"What do you mean, Sofia?" Hikari asked, curious.

"Her big sister, Dianna, told me Elsie has a mild learning disability," Sofia revealed. "Elsie is still smart, and her pendant allows her to easily memorize things which really helps."

"Wow!" Hikari exclaimed, impressed.

"Elsie also has a bad immune system and gets sick easily so she has to be careful," Sofia pointed out.

"I knew about her bad immune system," Hikari admitted. "She's careful about what she eats, and she seems to handle it well. I understand Princess Dianna has the same problem."

"Yes," Sofia confirmed. "Dianna is super careful about getting sick."

At that moment, the wind started picking up outside. Sofia and Hikari walked over to the window to see a late winter snowstorm taking place.

"It looks bitter out there," Sofia observed. "But, we're inside a nice, cozy, well-built castle. Nothing to worry about."

Hikari smiled at Sofia's reassurance. Meanwhile, in a hallway in the castle, Dorrie and Candice were walking by themselves when they came across a window. As they looked out, they noticed the snowstorm taking place.

"Looks like this is going to bring some snow," Dorrie noted.

"Sure does," Candice agreed.

Suddenly, Dorrie and Candice's Omnis activated on their own. The two found themselves traveling down a time vortex. In a few moments, Dorrie and Candice appeared in a room at Voyager Command.

"We've been summoned," Dorrie noted.

"But why?" Candice wanted to know.

"You haven't by any chance been making suits of armor come alive again?" Dorrie asked Candice.

"Well," Candice started, "there was that time a few weeks ago when everybody was out of the castle ... and I brought the suits of armor to life to the tune of Lady Bump," Candice revealed.

"Oh my God!" Dorrie laughed. "You've got a way of picking music."

"I know," Candice responded with a chuckle. "But I doubt that Voyager Command would call us here for something I did on my personal time."

"You would be correct, Lady Candice," a man's voice came from behind Dorrie and Candice. "If the two of you will follow me, I'll take you to Commissioner Richardson."

In a few minutes, the man had led Dorrie and Candice to a room where Violet and Commissioner Richardson were waiting.

"Mom?" Dorrie and Candice asked, taken off guard.

"Commissioner Richardson has an announcement," Violet explained. "I'll let him explain."

"... okay," Dorrie and Candice acknowledged.

"Dorrie, Candice," Richardson started, "you and your friends off the record mission to find the talismans has taken on a life of its own. Its become a part of history. So much so that Voyager Command is officially sanctioning that mission. To carry out that mission, the resources of Voyager Command are at your disposal."

"Thank you, Commissioner," Dorrie acknowledged, pleased.

"Yes, thank you, Commissioner," Candice added, equally pleased.

"Violet, please tell Princesses Sofia, Lucinda, and Amber, as well as Lady Abby, about this decision," Richardson requested. "It will be all hands on deck as it were for this mission."

"I'll tell them upon my arrival back at Enchancia Castle, sir," Violet promised.

"Good," Richardson smiled. "Keep us informed of your progress."

"We will, sir," Violet acknowledged as Richardson left the room. Violet then turned to Dorrie and Candice. "Since we're here, we might as well go through Voyager Command's data banks and see what we can come up with."

"Sounds like a plan," Dorrie smiled.

"Let's go," Candice urged.

July 29, 1907

Violet, Dorrie, and Candice had uncovered a promising lead at Voyager Command about something that resembled the Pig Talisman. The lead led them to Coney Island and Steeplechase Park early in the morning of Sunday, July 29th of 1907, and concerned a man seen carrying something that fit the description of the Pig Talisman.

The three appeared out of thin air in the middle of Steeplechase Park, an amusement area popular in the New York City area. Dorrie and Candice closed their Omnis as Violet checked her Omni.

"Red light," Violet reported. "Something's definitely not right here."

"I wish we had time to bring Sofia, Lucinda, Amber, and Abby," Dorrie commented.

"Considering what's going to happen here soon and that this place is closed for the night, it's better that just the three of us are investigating," Violet pointed out. "We want to leave as small of a footprint as possible."

"Good point," Candice agreed as she brought out her electronic guidebook and activated it. "The Steeplechase Park fire of 1907. It started early in the morning of July 29th within the Cave of the Winds attraction and spread through most of the wooden pavilions and hotels around Bowery Street."

"Fire!" a man's voice shouted in the distance. "Fire!"

"Magically change into early 1900s clothes," Violet directed.

Violet, Dorrie, and Candice raised their wands above their heads and magically changed their clothes into items that would pass in 1907. The three then ran toward where the shouting was coming from.

"What's the matter?!" Violet asked the man.

"There's a madman in there ... shooting fire out of his eyes!" the man exclaimed. "I have to get the fire department!"

As the man ran off, a 24-year-old man stepped out of the Cave of the Winds attraction which was ablaze. Violet, Dorrie, and Candice's mouths fell open in shock.

"Gellert Grindelwald," Dorrie acknowledged about the man.

"And he has the Pig Talisman in his hand," Candice noticed as she looked at Grindelwald.

"Yes, I do," Grindelwald acknowledged with an evil grin. "Who might you be?"

"None of your business!" Violet snapped as she, Dorrie, and Candice raised their wands. "Hand over the talisman! Now!"

"I think not," Grindelwald said as he shot some fire out of his eyes, barely missing Violet, Dorrie, and Candice.

"Attack!" Dorrie shouted to Candice as Dorrie changed into her werewolf form, and Candice changed into her White Maleficent form.

Dorrie lunged at Grindelwald as Grindelwald managed to move out of the way. At that same moment, Candice pointed her magical staff at Grindelwald and fired. Grindelwald fell to the ground, dazed, as Dorrie, Candice, and Violet stood over Grindelwald.

"Who are you?!" Grindelwald asked in shock.

"We're ... complicated," Candice answered as she looked at the Pig Talisman in Grindelwald's hand. "And now I command, Pig Talisman to my hand."

The Pig Talisman leaped from Grindelwald's hand and landed in Candice's hand.

"I suggest we be leaving," Violet suggested to Dorrie and Candice. "This place is going to go up like kindling."

"A wise idea," Grindelwald agreed as he quickly brought out his wand, waved it over his head, and magically disappeared.

"Good riddance to bad rubbage," Violet said of Grindelwald's disappearance as she brought out her Omni and looked at it. "Green light. We apparently stopped Grindelwald before he could do any further damage here."

"He's already managed to set this place ablaze, thanks to him using the Pig Talisman," Dorrie pointed out.

"The fire here would have happened with or without Grindelwald," Violet revealed. "We simply prevented him from making it even worse. We've better get out of here."

Violet, Dorrie, and Candice adjusted the dials on their Omnis, activated their Omnis, and disappeared into thin air as the fire started to spread across Steeplechase Park.

February 24, 1872

Violet, Dorrie, and Candice appeared in a hallway in Enchancia Castle as nineteen-year-old Amber walked up.

"Why are Dorrie and Candice in their werewolf and White Maleficent forms?" Amber asked Violet. "And why do the three of you smell like smoke?"

"It's a long story, Princess Amber," Violet answered, tired, as Dorrie and Candice transformed back into their normal forms. "The good news is that we retrieved another talisman."

"Excellent," Amber acknowledged, pleased.

"We also have more good news," Violet continued. "Voyager Command has officially sanctioned our search for the talismans, which means we can now use our Omnis to search for them when needed. Please inform Princess Sofia, Princess Lucinda, and Abby about this."

"I'll do that now, Violet," Amber promised as she walked off.

"I suggest we get cleaned up, then go to bed for the night," Violet suggested to Dorrie and Candice. "After what we've been through, a good night's sleep will do us good."

February 25, 1872

It was a Sunday afternoon at Enchancia Castle. The snowstorm the night before had ended. In the castle's auxiliary kitchen which wasn't being used that day, eleven-year-old Hikari and a visiting twelve-year-old Elsie stood over a stove. Elsie was teaching Hikari how to make one of Elsie's favorite recipes - a ground turkey taco bake.

"The first thing we have to do is to brown the ground turkey," Elsie instructed. "We'll need a frying pan with a cover."

"May I suggest this one," Candice said as she walked in, picked up a frying pan, and handed it to Elsie. "We call this one old reliable. She's been around for a while, but she cooks really well."

"I see the pan and cover don't exactly match," Elsie observed. "The pan is polished copper and the cover is brushed copper."

"That's an interesting story," Candice started. "A while back, an evil witch managed to con her way into the castle by being hired as a new maid. Turns out she wanted to take a shot at me for something I did to the forces of evil a while back. She raised her wand at me while I was cooking here in the auxiliary kitchen. I picked up the cover from old reliable and flung it at her - hit her in the head with it."

"Wow!" Elsie and Hikari exclaimed, amazed.

"The guards showed up and took her away," Candice continued. "The cover on the other hand got bent. Luckily, there was a cooking utensil shop in Evermore Landing that had a close match to the cover that was damaged. Problem solved."

"Nicely done," Elsie approved.

"I'm here to help the two of you this afternoon," Candice announced.

"Thank you," Hikari smiled, pleased.

"You're most welcome, Princess Hikari," Candice smiled back. "Let's say we get started, shall we?"

After browning the ground turkey, Candice, Elsie, and Hikari carefully put all the ingredients into a pan and put the pan in a nearby oven.

"There," Elsie started. "All we have to do now is to wait about 45 minutes, and the ground turkey taco bake will be done."

"You're really quite a good cook, Princess Elsie," Candice praised.

"Thank you, Lady Candice," Elsie acknowledged with a smile. "I have to be careful with what I eat, so I've come across recipes that help me with that."

"I know you have to be careful with what you eat, like your big sister, Dianna," Hikari commented to Elsie.

"Yes," Elsie answered. "I also tend to be sensitive to citrus, and like Dianna I avoid nuts."

"It sounds like you and Princess Dianna have a firm grasp on the situation," Candice acknowledged to Elsie.

Elsie smiled at Candice's understanding of the situation.

In a little while, the ground turkey taco bake was finished. As Elsie, Hikari, and Candice tried it, they all agreed it was very delicious.

That night

In Dorrie's room in Enchancia Castle, Dorrie was reading a magazine when a knock came at her door.

"Come in," Dorrie invited.

Dorrie's door opened, and in walked Violet.

"Have you seen Candice?" Violet asked.

"She should be in her room," Dorrie responded.

"I just looked in there, and she's not there," Violet informed Dorrie.

"There's only one place she could be, then," Dorrie started. "She must be in the Tardis."

"What would she be doing in there?" Violet wanted to know.

"We have snacks in the Tardis kitchen," Dorrie answered. "Pizza Sticks, Taco Sticks, potato chips ..."

"And where do you two get these snacks?" Violet asked, curious.

"We occasionally take the Tardis to the 21st Century to do some shopping," Dorrie explained. "Places like Valumart, Save-A-Dollar, and so on."

"Well, we should be getting down to The Secret Library," Violet directed. "We'll need to pick up Candice, then the three of us will use our Omnis to go to Scarlett's palace so we can deliver the Pig Talisman to Scarlett."

Violet and Dorrie used their wands to magically transport themselves to The Secret Library. Once there, the two entered the Tardis, walked through the Tardis control room, then walked down a hall until they reached the Tardis kitchen. When they entered the kitchen, they saw Candice sitting at a table enjoying a snack.

"Mom, Dorrie," Candice greeted. "I just thought I'd pop down here for a quick snack. These Pizza Sticks are quite good - cheese and pepperoni wrapped inside of a dough stick."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Violet smiled. "When you're done, we need to get the Pig Talisman to Scarlett."

"I'm just finishing up," Candice said as she got up from the table. "How are we getting there?"

"By Omni," Violet answered.

"Well, since we're here, we could just take the Tardis," Candice suggested.

"Like a teen with her first car, can't wait to take it out on the road," Violet joked.

"Okay, busted," Candice joked back.

"Well, as you put it, since we're here," Violet pointed out.

"Yes!" Candice and Dorrie exclaimed in glee.

The three walked into the Tardis control room as Candice set the coordinates for Scarlett's palace. Dorrie then activated the Tardis dematerialization sequence, sending the Tardis on its way to Scarlett's palace. Meanwhile, inside Scarlett's palace, Scarlett was in six-year-old Skylar's bedroom. As Skylar laid down in bed, Scarlett sang a lullaby to her young daughter.

"May your dreams bring you peace in the darkness. May you always rise over the rain. May the light from above always lead you to love. May you stay in the arms of the angels."

"May you always be brave in the shadows. Till the sun shines upon you again. Hear this prayer in my heart and we'll ne'er be apart. May you stay in the arms of the angels."

"May you hear every song in the forest. And if ever you lose your own way. Hear my voice like a breeze whisper soft through the trees. May you stay in the arms of the angels."

"May you grow up to stand as a woman, love. With the pride of your family and name. When you lay down your head or to rest in your bed. May you stay in the arms of the angels."

As young Skylar fell asleep, Scarlett gently kissed Skylar on the forehead then quietly left Skylar's bedroom. As Scarlett walked down a hallway, Colette walked up to Scarlett.

"Scarlett," Colette started, "Violet, Dorrie, and Candice are downstairs. I told them to wait in your study."

"Any idea why they are here?" Scarlett asked, curious.

"They've found another talisman," Colette answered. "They're here to deliver it to you."

"Excellent!" Scarlett exclaimed, pleased. "I'll get down there now."

In a few minutes, Scarlett walked into her study to find Violet, Dorrie, and Candice waiting there.

"Good evening, ladies," Scarlett greeted. "I understand you have something for me?"

"The Pig Talisman, Scarlett," Violet answered as she handed the talisman to Scarlett.

"Thank you," Scarlett acknowledged, pleased. "But how did you get this?"

"Voyager Command has given us official sanctioning to track down the talismans," Violet informed Scarlett. "Now that we have the blessing of Voyager Command, we used Voyager resources to help track down the Pig Talisman."

"I'm glad I have the three of you on my side," Scarlett smiled.

"Princess Sofia, Princess Lucinda, Princess Amber, as well as Abby will be involved as Voyagers from now on as well," Violet revealed. "Between the seven of us, we should be able to track down the remaining talismans."

"Your help is much appreciated," Scarlett said, grateful. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Scarlett," Violet acknowledged.

Meanwhile, back at Enchancia Castle, the royal family was in the castle sitting room for family game night. Family game night was rapidly becoming one of Hikari's favorite events in the castle. It was always a fun time and allowed her to become even closer with her new family.

This night, the royal family was playing charades. Nineteen-year-old James was standing before the family as he pointed to a fish tank in the sitting room.

"Fish market?" Amber guessed.

"Fish dinner?" Sofia guessed.

James shook his head no as he pointed to the sand in the bottom of the fish tank.

"Sand?" Queen Miranda guessed.

James nodded his head yes, then brought out a drinking glass.

"Sand ... water?" eighteen-year-old Lucinda guessed.

James shook his head no.

"Sand ... drink?" King Roland guessed.

James shook his head no as he once again pointed at the sand, turned the drinking glass upside down, and pretended to pack the glass with something.

"You're building something?" Sofia asked.

James happily nodded his head yes as he continued his gesture with the drinking glass. James then knelt on the floor and acted like he was constructing something with his hands. As James knelt on the floor acting like he was constructing something, Hikari looked closely at what James was doing.

"You've dropped something?" Amber guessed.

"You've spilled your drink?" Queen Miranda guessed.

James shook his head no as he continued to act like he was constructing something with his hands.

"I got it!" Hikari exclaimed in glee. "You're building a sandcastle."

"Well done, Hikari," James praised as he walked over and hugged Hikari.

"You're so smart, Hikari," Amber smiled.

"Indeed," King Roland agreed.

"You're going to go far, Hikari," Queen Miranda praised as Sofia and Lucinda smiled at Hikari.

At that same moment, eighteen-year-old Abby was walking by the sitting room on her way off duty for the evening. As she walked by the sitting room, Abby looked into the room and saw the love being given to Hikari. Abby smiled at the happy scene before continuing on. It was a wonderful way to end the evening.

(End of Chapter 12).

Behind the scenes

In this installment of "Behind the scenes", thanks to dbug27, we have the recipe for the ground turkey taco bake mentioned in this chapter.

Ground Turkey Taco Bake

1 pound ground turkey browned with half an envelope of taco seasoning (save the rest of the taco seasoning for later). Drain the meat. Place in 9x13 pan and add a can of refried beans, a small jar of nacho cheese sauce, and a small container of sour cream dip mix. Add a small can of chopped black olives and half a small bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese. Add one 16 ounce bag of tater tots and the rest of the taco seasoning and mix the top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees till cooked through for about 45 minutes.

Serve with avocado slices and more sour cream dip mix and salsa if you want.

Can be made with hamburger but as the Yensid royal family doesn't eat red meat they use turkey.

Author's notes

"And now I command, Pig Talisman to my hand" - this spell is based on "And now I command, wand to my hand" from "Disney Descendants".

Evermore Landing is the village on the other side of Enchancia Castle which I introduced in my story "Once Upon a Time in Enchancia".

Family game night is originally from the "Sofia the First" episode "Royal Vacation".

Gatomon is from "Digimon: Digital Monsters".

Gellert Grindelwald is an earlier version of Grindelwald from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald".

Having Dorrie and Candice use the Tardis to shop for snacks was the idea of Brigade701.

Having Princess Elsie wanting to go into nursing, attend the Wendarby Institute, and belong to Wendarby's Cosmarune House was the idea of dbug27.

Hikari is an alternate universe version of Hikari from "Digimon: Digital Monsters". Having Hikari appear in this story was the idea of Shaddowridder221. I decided to use Hikari's original Japanese name of Hikari to avoid confusion with Princess Kari from "Sofia the First".

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

Princess Dianna of Yensid, and Princess Elsie of Yensid, are characters created by dbug27 and are used in this story with permission from dbug27. Princess Dianna and Princess Elsie are from dbug27's story "a special princess".

Scarlett's daughter, Skylar, is an original character created by Jake H Voronkov for my stories (the fact that Scarlett's daughter, and Elena of Avalor's Jaguin, share the same name is simply an interesting quirk of fate).

Tardis is from "Doctor Who".

"That's an interesting story," Candice started. "A while back, an evil witch managed to con her way into the castle by being hired as a new maid. Turns out she wanted to take a shot at me for something I did to the forces of evil a while back. She raised her wand at me while I was cooking here in the auxiliary kitchen. I picked up the cover from old reliable and flung it at her - hit her in the head with it" - the evil witch would have had it in for Candice as a result of events seen in Chapter 27 of my story "Once Upon a Time in Enchancia".

The charades scene seen in this chapter was inspired by the charades scene in "Frozen II".

The Hogsmeade Medical College is from Chapters 1 and 2 of "Ever Realm Chronicles" and is something I created for "Ever Realm Chronicles". The Village of Hogsmeade itself is from "Harry Potter".

The Pig Talisman is from "Jackie Chan Adventures".

The Kingdom of Yensid is a kingdom created by dbug27 and is used in this story with permission from dbug27.

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. Meanwhile, the character of Colette (A.K.A. Lady Colette Cosmarune) is a character that I and Jake H Voronkov created and is based on Bayonetta from the video game "Bayonetta" (please note that Colette, and Madam Collette of Enchancia Castle, are two different characters who are not related in any way, shape, or form).

The scene with Scarlett singing a lullaby to Skylar was an idea by Jake H Voronkov (who also provided the slightly rewritten lyrics to "Lullaby for a Soldier (Arms of the Angels)" from "Sons of Anarchy").

The story surrounding the cover of old reliable was based on an idea by Brigade701 (who also came up with the idea of pan being polished copper and the cover being brushed copper).

"You haven't by any chance been making suits of armor come alive again?" Dorrie asked Candice - this is a reference to something mentioned in Chapter 5 of my story "Once Upon a Time in Enchancia".

Disclaimer

"Bayonetta" and everything associated with it © PlatinumGames, Sega, and Nintendo.

"Digimon: Digital Monsters" and everything associated with it © Akiyoshi Hongo, Bandai, and Toei Animation.

"Disney Descendants" and everything associated with it © Disney.

"Doctor Who" and everything associated with it © BBC.

"Elena of Avalor" and everything associated with it © Craig Gerber, Disney Television Animation, Team TO, and Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and everything associated with it © J. K. Rowling, Heyday Films, and Warner Brothers Pictures.

"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" and everything associated with it © J. K. Rowling, Heyday Films, and Warner Brothers Pictures.

"Frozen II" and everything associated with it © Disney.

"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.

"Jackie Chan Adventures" and everything associated with it © The JC Group, Blue Train Entertainment, Adelaide Productions, and Sony Pictures Television.

Princess Dianna of Yensid, Princess Elsie of Yensid, and the other original ideas from dbug27 are the property of dbug27 and are used in this story with the permission of dbug27.

"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.

"Sons of Anarchy" and everything associated with it © Kurt Sutter, The Linson Company, Sutter Ink, Fox 21, FX Productions, and 20th Television, Inc.

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

I only own Abby Cosmarune-Murphy, Candice Cosmarune-Cooper, Commissioner Richardson, Dorrie Cosmarune-Cooper, old reliable, the Hogsmeade Medical College, the Village of Evermore Landing, and the Wendarby Institute.