Chapter 5: The Cottage

The next day, Sofia was in her dress shop taking measurements for a little girl whose birthday was coming up in just over a week. The girl, a little brunette named Emma, was very excited to be getting a new dress. She was even more excited to tell Sofia all about what she wanted her birthday party to be like.

"…And I'll have a big strawberry cake with pink and yellow frosting," she declared, bouncing up and down as Sofia wrapped a measuring tape around her waist. "And all my friends will bring me presents."

"Oh, Emma," the child's mother sighed. "Please be still so Miss Sofia can measure you." She offered the seamstress an apologetic smile.

Sofia smiled patiently as she mentally noted the numbers on the measuring tape. "You remind me of my sister Amber when she was younger," she told the little girl. "She used to love strawberry cake and presents. Actually, she still loves those things." She laughed softly.

Emma gasped. "You mean Queen Amber, right?" When Sofia nodded, she sighed. "I always forget you were a princess. You must have had a big closet full of neat gowns."

"I did," Sofia admitted, finishing the measurements and putting the measuring tape in her apron pocket. "But I usually only wore one. It was my favorite." She walked to the counter and reached for an open notebook. After writing down Emma's measurements, she turned back to the girl. "Would you like a princess gown?"

The girl's face lit up. "Yes! The most beautiful gown you can make!"

Sofia stifled a giggle. Yes, this child reminded her of her sister in more ways then one. "All righty. What colors would you like?"

"Pink and gold," she answered enthusiastically.

"Great." Sofia wrote this down in her notebook. Before she could say or do anything else, the bell over the shop's door chimed, and she turned to see who had arrived. A man of average height walked into the shop, his messy golden brown hair falling over his eyes as he moved. He was dressed in a dark blue robe that hung open over a brown vest, white shirt, and dark brown trousers. The legs of his trousers were tucked into black boots that ended just below his knees. This was Mahoney the Mindful, Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia. Sofia smiled warmly. "Hi, Mahoney. What brings you here?"

"Miss Sofia," he greeted pleasantly, bowing to the former princess. He straightened up and pushed his hair out of his face as he said, "Queen Amber sent me to fix up an abandoned cottage behind your shop. She said you were going to move into it soon."

"Oh." A slight frown crossed her face as she recalled the conversation she'd had with her sister the day before. I don't remember actually agreeing to live in the cottage. She wasn't even sure if Cedric would appreciate having a housemate. True, he might like some company, but why did she need to live with him? Still, she knew Amber meant well, so she supposed she could go along with her plans.

"Is everything all right, Miss Sofia?"

She blinked, realizing the sorcerer was looking at her in mild concern. "Oh, yes," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I just… wasn't expecting Amber to send you out here so soon."

He chuckled. "Perhaps she wanted to make sure the cottage was fixed before she forgot about it altogether. My mum always said that you should do something important when you thought of it before you get distracted by other things." He shrugged and grinned humorously. "Our dear queen has quite a few things to distract her."

"Oh, I know," she chuckled, thinking of all the things that occupied her sister's mind now that she was the kingdom's ruler. And there's Hugo. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. She had seen the way Amber and Hugo looked at each other. It was the same look they had been sharing for years, and it spoke of a very deep love for each other. "The cottage is behind this building just through the trees. Why don't you go on out there?" she nodded toward Emma and her mother, who had been watching them quietly. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Mahoney smiled warmly toward the two. "What a pretty little girl," he said, causing Emma to giggle. "Getting a new dress, I presume?"

"Yep!" the girl chirped. "It's for my birthday party."

"Ah. And how old will you be?"

"Eight," Emma declared proudly.

"Now that is a good age to be." He grinned as he produced his wand. With a quick flick, he conjured a bouquet of flowers tied with a yellow ribbon. He knelt in front of the child and handed her the flowers. "Consider this an early birthday gift from the royal sorcerer."

Emma just stared at the flowers in wonder. It was fascinating to her that they had just appeared out of nowhere. She had never seen real magic before, and it thrilled her to be able to witness it. She took the bouquet and sniffed the blossoms, delighted at the fresh scent that wafted from them. "Wow…"

"What do you say, Emma?" her mother prompted.

"Thank you, sir," Emma beamed up at Mahoney. "Oh! I can't wait to tell all my friends I met a real live sorcerer! Magic is amazing!"

As Sofia looked on, a long–forgotten memory came to her mind. When she first met Cedric as a new princess, she had been in awe of him and his magic. It was a dream come true for her to actually get to meet a real live sorcerer. Granted, he hadn't been the friendliest person in the world that day, but she still thought he was amazing. A soft sigh escaped her lips, unheard by the others in the shop. I wonder how he is right now

Mahoney chuckled as he stood up. "Magic is wonderful, little one," he told Emma. "Perhaps I'll come to the village sometime and put on a show for you and your friends."

She gasped in excitement. "That would be awesome!"

He laughed. "Then I'll make it happen." He turned toward Sofia, who blinked. "I'll go start fixing up that cottage." Seeing her nod, he waved good bye to Emma and walked out the shop's front door.

A few minutes later, Sofia said good bye to Emma and her mother, following them outside and locking the shop's door. It was a beautiful early summer day, and she had decided to walk around the building rather than going through the back door. As she walked, she absorbed the sun's warmth, feeling as if she was being embraced by a lifelong friend. Once again, her thoughts turned to Cedric. She wondered how he had taken the news of his impending freedom. Would he still consider her a friend? Or did he think she thought he stole her amulet? She frowned heavily at that thought, never having considered it. I hope Roland didn't make him feel that way, she thought bitterly. I know he didn't take my amulet. I just know it. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even realize she had walked all the way to the back of the building until she heard Mahoney's cheerful voice.

"Ah, there you are," the sorcerer greeted her as he strode toward her. "What do you think?" He gestured behind him at what he had created.

Sofia had to blink a few times to assure herself that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The tall trees that usually stood behind her shop were now gone. In their place was a grand mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens. The gardens were filled with different varieties of colorful summer flowers with butterflies fluttering about. A path led to the mansion's front steps, which in turn led to a spacious front porch where a cushioned swing could be seen. The front doors were large with a lovely arch over them. One of the front windows was made of stained glass, and Sofia squinted a bit before she realized it depicted a unicorn. The rest of the windows were clear and big enough to fill the rooms inside with light, both on the first and second floor. She could make out the railings of balconies overlooking the gardens on each side of the house. It really looked nice, but…

"Mahoney…" She turned to the sorcerer, trying to think of a nice way to say what she was thinking. "You did an amazing job, but… It's just—"

"Too much?" he asked knowingly. When she nodded sheepishly, he chuckled, his aquamarine eyes twinkling in mirth. "I had a feeling you'd feel that way. This is actually what Queen Amber suggested I do to the cottage."

Sofia sighed, resisting the urge to face–palm. Amber had changed in many ways since they were children, but her belief that bigger was better was one thing that never seemed to change.

"Ah, well…" The sorcerer gave his wand a sharp flick. The mansion and gardens vanished, revealing that they had only been a holographic image, much to Sofia's relief. He gestured to a barely visible path that led through the clump of tall trees. "Let's go see about that cottage, shall we?"

As they walked, Mahoney used his magic to clear away the tall grass and weeds that covered several sections of the path. He also magically relocated some branches that hung a bit too low. It had been many years since anyone had walked down this path, and nature had been doing its best to cover it up. It didn't take long to reach the cottage, and Mahoney let out a low whistle when he saw the structure he had been sent to fix. It had certainly been quite some time since anyone had lived there. The front door hung open on its hinges, affording them a view of the rotting floor and walls within. None of the windows had glass in their frames. The roof looked like it could fall in at any minute. All in all, the little house was in pretty bad shape.

"It looks like this place could collapse if it was touched by the lightest breeze," the sorcerer observed, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Sofia agreed, frowning thoughtfully. "No one's lived here since before my mom married the king."

"Well, no worries. I can fix it." He raised his arms over his head and pointed his wand at the old cottage. He called out a spell, and magic shot from the wand's tip, wrapping around the house and causing it to glow. A minute later, the light faded, leaving the cottage looking new. It was a bit bigger than it had been. The windows now had shiny glass panes, and there was a new front door in place of the old one. The magic had added a porch with two chairs. The roof had been replaced with a new one. Mahoney smiled in satisfaction as he lowered his arms. "That's much better."

Sofia nodded, smiling brightly. "It sure is."

He sheathed his wand and walked toward the door. "Let's see what the inside looks like."

The former princess followed him through the door and gazed around. To the left was a neat kitchen with cupboards, a stove and oven, and counters. A table and two chairs stood in the center of the kitchen. To the right was a living room with a chair and a sofa. A fireplace occupied one wall, and an empty bookshelf stood against another. It all looked simple but comfortable, and Sofia found she liked it.

Mahoney gave a pleased nod as he looked around. He gestured to a hallway that led out of the main room. "Let's see what's back there."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay."

The hallway contained several closed doors. Two of them opened into bedrooms, both of which had a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a wardrobe. There was also a lavatory with a claw foot tub—the only thing that looked out of place in the otherwise simple cottage. A fourth door revealed a closet for storage. A door at the very end of the hall was the cottage's back door.

Mahoney inspected the entire cottage, checking to be sure there were no cracked windows or mouse holes; something Sofia suspected Amber had insisted he do, although she found it unnecessary since the house had been fixed by magic. He even sat on the sofa just to see how comfortable it was, much to her amusement. After a while, he deemed it perfect to live in, and they made their way outside, and he closed the door behind them. He then conjured a key and locked the door before handing it to Sofia.

"Thanks, Mahoney." She took the key and slipped it into her apron pocket. "You did an awesome job with the cottage. I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure, Miss Sofia," he said with a warm smile. "Now, I need to get back to the castle. I have a potion that needs to be finished by tomorrow, and as my mum always says, potions won't make themselves."

She giggled. "And I should get back to my shop. I have some dresses to finish."

They started walking the way they had come, but Sofia paused, letting Mahoney go on ahead, and looked back at the cottage. Thanks to the sorcerer, it now looked fresh and new, much better than she could remember ever seeing it. Now it just needed to be lived in. A small smile formed on her lips as she turned and hurried after the retreating sorcerer. The cottage being repaired made one thing very real. Cedric would soon be released from prison.

A/N: So… After nearly two years, this stoty is updated. Sorry for the long wait. I had planned to update before the one year mark (April 1st), but life happened. If you follow me, you probably know that I've been writing other things, but I haven't forgotten this.

As I mentioned before, I adopted Mahoney from AquaTurquoise. Originally, he wasn't going to show up until later. But I changed some plans. Since we only see him as a kid in Aqua's universe, I made him an adult. I hope I did okay personality wise.

Thanks for all the favorites/kudos and reviews. I'll try to update before another year goes by. LOL!