Author's note: I don't own anything from Sofia the First. Sofia is almost 18 in this chapter.
The idea for this fic came from watching the enchanted feast episode where Cedric totally goes all starry eyed for Sascha and I wanted to see what could happen between them. I am assuming that Sascha is indeed a real sorceress and not Miss Nettle in disguise as there was a painting of her on the wall in Hexley Hall, suggesting she is a real sorceress which is the profile pic of this story.
Imposter: Chapter One
I'm so into you
I can barely breathe
And all I wanna do,
Is to fall in deep
But close ain't close enough
'Til we cross the line, hey, yeah
So name a game to play,
And I'll roll the dice, hey
Oh baby, look what you started
The temperature's rising in here
Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move
Before I make a move
-Ariana Grande, Into You
"So who's your crush, Sofia?" Lucinda questioned, a cheeky smirk widening on her red, pouty lips.
Ruby let out an unprecedented snort, quickly covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"You don't know who Sofia fancies?" Jade let out, squirming like an excited puppy. "Isn't it obvious?".
"It is?" Sofia blushed, looking down at the floor to avoid the prying eye contact of her eager friends.
Their crushes were so orthodox; Lucinda took a shine to a handsome blue- eyed wizard the same age as her while both Jade and Ruby were head over heels for none other than her brother, Prince James. Sofia couldn't help but realise that her friends must have noticed her obsession with one man which led her to involve him in every conversation they had.
Lucinda scratched her head, scrunching up her brow in confusion as Ruby and Jade nodded enthusiastically, their imploring eyes widening with delight, encouraging their friend to realise what they had months ago.
Realisation dawned on her like a lit up bulb. "Ohhhh… I know who…" . Lucinda giggled, joining in with Jade and Ruby who by this stage had erupted into an uncontrollable laughter.
Sofia tore her gaze from her feet to offer a weak smile up at her friends as a forced giggle escaped her throat, wondering if her fantasy was so far-fetched that it yielded this dramatic a response.
"I think it borders on infatuation" Jade offered, sucking in a breath after each word, trying to cease the wild giggling spell they were under.
"Did you hear about the new potion I learned about from Mr Ceedric?" she mocked, drawing out the long vowel sounds Sofia used to emphasise as a child.
"Did you know that we have the best royal sorcerer in the kingdom?" Jade continued, placing a hand against stomach to stop the long, drawn out cackles that were escaping her mouth.
"Stop!" Sofia retorted, stamping her foot irritatedly on the ground, the angry tone in her voice quickly softening her friend's laughter.
Tucking a loose strand from her face, she looked straight up at her friends with a sheepish smile in an attempt to gain a little respect as her legs felt like jelly with embarrassment. She felt like a fool trying to defend liking a man nearly twice her age.
"Isn't my crush just as valid as yours?" Sophia offered, hoping that maybe one of them had noticed his mismatched white bangs which hung over his face, his jet black, straight hair or his tall, cinched physique which was accentuated by a certain dark, purple velvet robe which made him altogether so hot.
An involuntary grin began to form on her face. Her hands began to twist in her auburn curls as she recalled his piercing brown eyes and dark pupils as he would gaze seemingly through her, likely growling "Whatever could you want at this hour, princess?" as she often intruded his workshop at inconvenient moments.
Lucinda started coughing loudly to regain Sofia's attention. "Sophia" she prodded, snapping her long fingers as her daytime fantasy was abruptly cut off.
"Yes, sorry.." Sofia offered quietly, a rosy blush returning to her face as she internally scolded herself for getting carried away in front of her village friends. She would usually only permit herself to have such fantasies locked away in her room, in the privacy of the castle and of her bed sheets..
Lucinda's lips curled in a sneer as she crossed her arms loosely, leaning slightly over Sofia to carefully gauge her reaction.
"I don't know what you see in him," Jade muttered, scrunching up her nose at the notion of anyone admiring his scornful, irritated expressions.
"Is he even interested in a relationship?" she questioned. "He doesn't have friends, let alone lovers".
"He's probably a celibate" Lucinda snickered, her blazing eyes gazing down bluntly into Sofia's through her flattering lashes.
She didn't know if it was true or whether it was a blessing, but she didn't care. She'd always fantasized over an experienced lover, one who knew exactly how to please a woman but she couldn't deny the fierce desire which burned within her- the sorcerer was hers alone, untouchable to all others.
Sofia straightened her posture and tilted her chin up to meet her friend's gaze. "That's not true", she corrected, knowing full well her friends viewed virginity as a weakness, especially in a man.
"He just values his solitude" she added, her tone calm but resolute, hoping that would quell their persistent hints that he was inexperienced.
Her friends glanced away from Sofia, exchanging skeptical looks. Ruby and Jade met each other's gaze, narrowing their eyes, unwilling to break the truth to their naive friend.
Lucinda offered her a questionable smile; prompting Sofia that she shouldn't always try to see the good in people as it often led to a misconstrued view of reality.
Slipping out a little too quickly she continued; "but he did have an interest in Sascha, a sorceress who visited our kingdom at the enchanted feast", her lips pointing up smirkingly as she shrugged her shoulders.
It wasn't just the feast she'd enchanted, she recalled, thinking back to Cedric's playful teasing and fidgeting hands as he introduced himself to the sorceress as well as her own escalating jealousy of someone else breaking his usual cold, emotionless demeanour.
Ruby's eyes lit up at the sound of the sorceress' name as she licked her lips seductively. "I don't blame him" she retorted, fluttering her lashes, her fingers pinching her dress.
"Any man would die to be in the company of Sascha" Ruby beamed, stretching out the syllables in her name.
"I've heard she is one passionate lover" Jade giggled, instantly causing their earlier unruly bouts of laughter to resume as even Sofia found herself hiding her mouth behind her hand as she chuckled half-heartedly.
Lucinda was the first to recover as she panted heavily to catch her breath. "If you really want to break down his walls" Lucinda began, suddenly feeling bold, "you could visit him as Sascha.." she murmured, cocking her brow.
"I'm sure then you would be able to tell if he is any good in bed" she purred, her mouth formed a sly smile and she met Sofia's gaze and winked.
Sofia stood back, blinking to shake off the intensity of Lucinda's gaze as she gave her scandalous proposition. She always knew the witch had crazy ideas and an ambiguous moral compass but she never thought she could come up with something so slanderous, let alone improper for a princess with her title.
She hesitated, trying to decipher what Lucinda was implying. Being deceitful was something she'd never considered, always prioritising showing the most open and honest version of herself as her mother instilled in her from an early age. She knew no real relationships were based on dishonesty; even petty white lies or harmless duplicity could lead you down an uncertain, dangerous road.
However despite this, 4 years had passed since her initial schoolgirl crush had developed into more serious, unequivocal feelings. Birthdays crawled by without even a peck on the cheek, a flirtatious exchange or any recognition that she had matured into a young woman and was no longer an annoying, gullible child.
Desperate didn't come close to how badly she wanted to penetrate the barrier that trapped her in a platonic, unfulfilling relationship with someone she would use all her power to be with.
The words escaped her lips before she could even think.
"Ok" she blurted out. "Whatever it takes…".
Author's note: Reviews will help me write the next chapter! ;)