Chapter 4: Tea with the Queen.

Sofia let out a satisfied sigh as she stood looking at the dress she'd just completed, which was displayed on her dressmaker's mannequin. The dress was a soft red color with a flowing skirt and short, puffy sleeves. Sofia had embroidered intricate gold flowers around the skirt's hem and sewn gold sequins around the modest neckline. It was simple but elegant, perfect for a wedding dress; Ruby's wedding dress to be exact.

A fond smile tugged at the young woman's lips as she stepped away from her latest masterpiece. Ruby would certainly be pleased. After all, she wanted a red wedding, and Sofia had been all too happy to make her childhood friend's special dress. She glanced around her shop at the finished dresses in every summer color and style hanging from racks. Being Dunwiddie's seamstress was something she enjoyed. Ever since she started the job a few years ago, she had had many customers, including Ruby, Jade, Meg, Peg, and Lucinda, who claimed Sofia's dresses were better than anything she herself could conjure. Even Amber, who had her own royal seamstress, sometimes ordered gowns from her sister. The new queen often supported Sofia's business by sending her the finest materials to work with, something Sofia had been hesitant to accept at first, because she had wanted to do things on her own, but Amber had insisted, so the younger woman finally accepted the support. Sofia enjoyed sewing and creating new designs, finding it to be very calming, even during the weeks just before the Villager's Ball when she became so busy she barely got to sleep a full eight hours. All in all, she was happy with her life.

The bell over the shop's front door chimed, bringing Sofia back to reality. She turned to see the new castle steward enter the building. It was still hard for the former princess to grasp the fact that Baileywick was no longer active. The older man had been forced into retirement after suffering a heart attack the year before. He had since moved out of the castle to live with his brother, Nigel, and Sofia always missed him whenever she visited her family. Baileywick had worked for the royal family for so long that it just didn't feel quite right not having him around. But his replacement, a man named Arthur, was very skilled in keeping things in order for the king and queen.

"Good afternoon, Arthur," she greeted the tall, muscular man with dark brown hair and deep green eyes. "What brings you here?"

"Miss Sofia," he nodded in greeting. "Queen Amber would like you to join her for afternoon tea. She said to tell you she has an important matter to discuss with you."

Sofia sighed inwardly. It was just like Amber to suddenly decide she needed to see her, mostly to discuss things that weren't really as 'important' as she made them out to be. The two sisters met for tea once a week, and since they just met two days ago Sofia had to wonder what Amber wanted. However, it wasn't a busy day, so she supposed she could close the shop early. "All right. Give me a minute to get ready."

"Very well. I'll be waiting with the coach." He bowed and left, closing the door behind him.

Sofia hurried to the door in the back of the shop, pushing it open and stepping into her private living space. The space consisted of a tiny kitchen area on one side and a bed and wardrobe on the other. It was small, but Sofia loved it. She walked to the wardrobe and pulled the door open to reveal a mirror on the inside. For a moment, she stood gazing at her reflection. At twenty, she was taller than she used to be, though not quite as tall as most of her friends. Her auburn hair had darkened a little over the years, and she'd let it grow to midway down her back, usually keeping it in a braid. Deciding she looked fine in the lilac dress she had chosen for the day, she closed the wardrobe, hurried to the small kitchen table to grab her satchel, and went back to the shop. After locking the front door, she climbed into the coach that waited to take her to the castle.

Sofia sighed as a maid refilled her teacup for the third time in two hours. She gazed across the table at Amber, hoping her sister hadn't summoned her here just to tell her things she already knew. She knew Desmond and Vivian's kingdoms would be united when the couple married in a few weeks. She knew Hildegard was expecting her and Zandar's first baby, although she didn't need to know how big the dark haired princess had become at five months; Amber suspected she was having triplets. And she knew about, but didn't care for, the rumors that Clio was having affairs with two different men. Sofia leaned forward, propping one elbow on the table and resting her chin in her raised hand. Gossip certainly wasn't something she called an 'important matter,' but her sister always felt the need to fill her in.

"…And that's what Zooey wants to do," Amber proclaimed, finishing yet another detailed tidbit about one of their friends. She eyed her sister expectantly. "Did you get all that, Sofia?"

"Of course," she affirmed, sitting up straight once again. "But I think you already told me all this a few days ago."

Amber shrugged airily and reached toward the plate in the center of the table, selecting a strawberry muffin. She took a dainty bite, chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "I just want to make sure you know what's going on with everyone since… you know?"

Sofia nodded in understanding. Since she didn't attend royal functions, she didn't interact with many of her old friends, so Amber had made it her duty to make sure she knew about the goings on of all the royal courts on their side of the Ever Realm. Sometimes the blonde exaggerated, adding her own take on things, which could make Sofia sigh in exasperation, but still… "I appreciate it, Amber. Hey, where's Hugo?" she asked, suddenly realizing she hadn't seen her brother–in–law since she arrived at the castle.

"He went to Centucki to see the new Flying Derby horses Axel bought." Finishing her muffin, she brushed some imaginary crumbs from the bodice of her mauve gown. "I could have gone, but I had some things to do. Oh!" She suddenly gasped, causing the other woman to jump in surprise. "Before I forget, I got a letter from James yesterday."

Sofia's eyes lit up at the mention of their brother, who was now a full–fledged knight. A few months ago, when Roland was still in control, the irresistibly handsome and fun–loving youth had been offered a quest that would take him across the sea to Avalor. He'd accepted eagerly, almost too eagerly. But his sisters weren't surprised. When the family had travelled to Avalor for Queen Elena's coronation, James had been taken with her younger sister, Isabel. The two of them had kept in touch ever since, and James had often talked about returning to Avalor to see her again, so, of course, the quest presented the perfect opportunity. The quest should have only taken a few weeks, yet James was still gone. Sofia and Amber both suspected that he was using the time to court Isabel. "What did he say?" Sofia asked, leaning forward.

"He congratulated me on becoming queen," She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I've been queen for a few weeks, and he's just now writing to me to tell me how proud he is." She grinned when Sofia gave her a sarcastic look. "Mostly, he gushed about Isabel; how lovely she is, how incredible her inventions are, how her eyes remind him of chocolate… I don't think we can expect him to come home any time soon."

"I'm just glad he's happy," Sofia enthused. "So, Amber…" She reached for the sugar bowl, scooping some of the sweetener into her tea and stirring the drink. "Arthur said you had something important to talk to me about. What is it?"

"Oh, yes, about that. Well…"

The younger woman lifted the cup to her lips, prepared to hear about some political dispute or kingdom related affair. Although she wasn't Amber's official royal advisor, the queen sometimes sought her opinion on such things.

"I ordered Cedric's release from prison."

Sofia sputtered, tea dribbling down her chin and onto her dress. Quickly, she set her cup on its saucer and grabbed her linen napkin to wipe her face and clean up the mess.

Amber smirked. "Very ladylike, Sofia." She picked up her own cup and took a delicate sip.

Sofia finished attempting to get the stain out of her dress and gaped at her sister in disbelief. "Amber, why would you do that?" Yes, she had longed for her old friend to be released–even after ten years, she still missed him. But Roland had made it clear that he intended to keep Cedric imprisoned for the rest of his life, so to suddenly hear that the former royal sorcerer was being released was an unexpected shock, but Sofia couldn't allow herself to feel too hopeful quite yet. "If Roland knew–"

"Oh, pish posh," the blonde interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. "Father doesn't necessarily need to know, not right now anyway." She furrowed her brows and frowned seriously. "As for why I'm having Cedric released, I honestly don't think he deserves to be in prison. I don't believe he stole your amulet. Father would just never look past the fact that Cedric tried to take over the kingdom, and that was unfair. You convinced us to give Cedric a second chance, but Father never gave him one, and that has always bothered me. So, as Queen Amber the First of Enchancia, I intend to right this wrong by having Cedric brought home. I can't give him back the last ten years of his life, but I can offer him what he was denied–a real second chance." Her features softened, and she gave her sister a sincere smile. "I'm doing it for you, Sofia. I know how much Cedric meant to you."

A small smile tugged at Sofia's lips before she frowned as something occurred to her. "Wait. What are you planning to do with him? Are you going to make him the royal sorcerer again?"

"I can't do that," she said gently, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be fair to Mahoney if I fire him for no reason."

The younger woman nodded. Mahoney the Mindful was the man Roland had instated as the Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia a few years ago. Sofia had met him a handful of times and found him to be remarkably intelligent and funny. He told her once that he had gone to Hexley Hall with kids a few years older than he was because he could do magic beyond his own age level. Mahoney was very good at his job, and Sofia was glad to hear that Amber wasn't going to fire him. "So, where will Cedric go, then?"

"I was hoping he could stay with you."

"What!?" Sofia stared at her sister in dismay. "Amber, are you out of your mind?"

A golden eyebrow rose into a perfect arch. "Why would you ask that?"

Sofia raised one hand, a single finger pointed upward. "Well, first, I live in the back of my shop. Second…" Another finger went up. "There's only one bed."

"So?"

"So? Where is Cedric supposed to sleep?"

"Oh, Sofia, I wasn't planning to have him live in the shop with you." Amber giggled lightly when her sister sighed. "There's a cottage behind your shop, isn't there?"

"Yeah…" She thought of the ramshackle structure in a clump of tall trees a short distance behind the shop. "But no one's lived there for years, and it's in bad shape."

"Nothing a little magic can't fix." Amber grinned excitedly, taking another sip of tea. "I'll send Mahoney to fix it up so you and Cedric can live there."

"But why do I need to live with him?" Sofia asked, perplexed.

"He's been in prison for ten years. I'm sure he'll like being with someone who can cook a decent meal. And I'm sure he'll like your company," Amber responded, smiling lightly before a shadow crossed her face. She opened her mouth to say more, but just then, Arthur ambled into the room.

"Your Majesty," the steward began, bowing. "Forgive the interruption, but you have a meeting in half an hour, and there are some documents you need to go over."

"Oh, of course," she nodded. "I'll go to my office in a minute. Please have a coach ready to take Sofia home."

"Of course, Queen Amber."

After the steward left the room, Amber turned back to her sister. "I need to get to those documents." She stood up and smoothed out her gown. "Oh, and before I forget, Cedric will arrive in Dunwiddie in one week." She turned and moved toward the room's exit. However, she stopped when Sofia swiftly stepped in front of her, throwing her arms around her. "Oh, Sofia…" She returned the hug, not caring about wrinkling her dress.

"Thank you, Amber," Sofia whispered as she stepped back, a purely happy smile on her face. "Hearing that Cedric will be free means more to me than you'll ever know."

The queen nodded and gave her one last smile as she left the room.

Sofia just stood there for a minute as servants started to clear the table. Then, almost in a daze, she made her way toward the castle's front doors. She couldn't seem to contain the growing smile on her face. Her heart fluttered with excitement at the prospect of seeing Cedric again. But she also felt a tad uncertain. Cedric had been gone for ten years, and she couldn't help wondering if he had changed. Was he still the kind, funny, and sweet–albeit misguided–man she once knew? Probably not. She herself wasn't the same person he had known all those years ago, in more ways than one. Her smile faltered at these thoughts, but she quickly pushed them to the back of her mind. She stepped into the coach that waited for her at the bottom of the steps, leaning back in the seat as the coachman snapped the reins. A happy sigh escaped her lips as the carriage started to move.

Cedric would soon be back in Enchancia, and she couldn't wait to see him again.

A/N: Well, Happy April Fool's Day!

So, a couple of things… First, Since Hugo's kingdom doesn't have a name, I gave it one. I chose Centucki, another spelling for Kentucky, because his family has so many Flying Derby champions.

Secondly, the character Mahoney is from AquaTurquoise's story, "Against the Clock." I kind of adopted him some time ago, but I never found a place for him. I decided to use him in this story. This story does not take place in Aqua's universe. I came up with Mahoney's title. I hope you like it.

This may be the last update for a while, depending on some things. Take care.