Extra Sugar
Sofia smiled happily as she walked through the castle halls, a tray in her hands. She greeted a few servants as she passed them. It was mid afternoon, and there wasn't too much going on inside the castle. It didn't take long for the teenaged princess to reach her destination: her father's office. Reaching the closed door, she shifted the tray to one hand and knocked.
"Baileywick, I don't need any more documents today," the king's weary voice called out.
Sofia blinked before a mischievous smirk slowly crossed her face. She opened the door and stepped into the room. Her father was at his desk, hunched over some parchment with a quill in hand. He was so busy writing something down that he didn't notice her walking toward him.
When she reached the desk, Sofia said in her best impression of Baileywick's voice, "Your Majesty, I have some documents that need your attention immediately."
A heavy sigh came from the king. "All right, Bai—" He looked up and blinked when he saw that the person in front of him was in fact not the steward but his younger daughter. "Sofia?"
"Hi, Dad," she said cheerfully, setting the tray on top of the desk,
"Your impersonation of Baileywick was very good." He chuckled as she giggled. "It's even a little scary how much you sounded like him."
She just smiled innocently and shrugged. "I brought you a snack." She gently pushed the tray toward him.
"And what a lovely snack it is." He grinned as he looked down at the spread. There was a plate with several types of cookies, a bowl of jiggly wiggly pudding, and a tall glass of chocolate milk. "All this extra sugar might be just what I need to get through the rest of these documents," he said as he glanced tiredly at a pile of papers on the side of his desk. He put his quill down and moved the parchment he had just been writing on before reaching for a cookie. "These cookies look great."
"I'm glad you think so." She beamed. "I got them from the village bakery when I went to visit Ruby and Jade this morning. I brought a box of goodies back to share with everyone at lunch. James almost ate them all." She giggled when he laughed. "I was able to save some for you, and since you weren't at lunch, I decided to bring them to you."
"That was very thoughtful of you," he said appreciatively. He bit into the cookie, humming in delight as he chewed. After swallowing, he gave her a wide grin. "I can feel my energy coming back. I bet I can get all this work done before dinner."
"Is Baileywick giving you too much work?" she wondered.
"A king's work is never done, my dear." He chuckled and finished the cookie, reaching for the bowl of pudding and the spoon that sat next to it. "How are things in the village?"
For the next few minutes, Sofia told her father about everything that was happening in Dunwiddie. She also told him about her latest Protector mission; getting a herd of cows off the road and out of the way of a coach traveling from one village to the next.
"That sounds like an easy mission," Roland said, taking a sip of chocolate milk.
Sofia shrugged from where she now sat in a chair in front of his desk. "It wouldn't have easy if I couldn't talk to animals." She touched her amulet absentmindedly. "I just asked them to move, and they did." She giggled and stood up. "I have to go. Amber wants to go over dresses for the portrait she's having done of the two us."
"Oh, I forgot about that." He gave her an amused smile. "Then you better go. You don't want to keep the future queen waiting."
She laughed, hurrying around the desk to give him a quick hug and kiss before leaving the office, closing the door as she went.
Left alone once again, the king ate the last cookie before finishing his drink. He then pushed the tray away and reached for the document on the top of the pile. It was time to get back to work. After all, a king's work was never done.
A/N: Yes, I know it's the first day of Cedfia Week, but it's also Father's Day, and I feel like Roland deserves a story with Sofia. I hope you liked it.