How Baileywick Found Out

There was a lot on Baileywick's mind as he strolled down the hallway towards James room. Not only was it Valentine's Day, which meant he had a mental tasks list a mile long, but there had been recent gossip among the servants that took up space in his mind. Normally he didn't listen to the gossip among the staff, usually because he knew most of it to be false, but this particular one caught his interest. If it turned out to be true, it couldn't lead to anything good. The problem was, he didn't know how to go about finding out whether or not it was true if Princess Sofia had romantic feelings for him.

He absolutely refused to confront her about it and embarrass her like that without knowing for certain that there was truth to the servant's claims. Perhaps he should just wait and see how it all developed. Sofia was a young woman of eighteen, after all. Even if she did find herself with romantic feelings for him, they would surely pass.

Shaking these thoughts from his mind, he reached James' door and gently knocked on it. He was to collect James and make sure he showed up at the entrance with the rest of his family to greet the guests. The young lad had a habit of being late for such things.

"Come in," James called out from inside.

Baileywick opened the door and let himself in. He was instantly greeted by the sight of James holding up two different cravats. "Ah, Baileywick, my man. Which one do you think I should wear—red or blue?" He held up each one to his neck.

Baileywick tapped his chin. "I would suggest red for the occasion, Prince James."

James turned to look in the mirror. "Yeah, you're probably right."

James threw the blue one to the side and began tying the red cravat around his collar. As Baileywick watched James finish up his mind wandered. James must be eager to impress some lady tonight. This led him to think about Amber and Sofia. Were they also worrying right now about what to wear? Were they fretting over impressing some lad tonight?

Baileywick almost laughed at that thought. Yes, Amber was most certainly fretting over that, but Sofia? She was always so mellow and calm. It was hard to imagine her doing anything to impress someone.

Suddenly James was standing in front of him, waving a hand. "Hey, Baileywick, you all right?"

He blinked, returning his focus to the present. "Yes, of course. Why?"

James pointed to his half-tied cravat. "Because I asked if you knew how to tie this darn thing and you didn't respond."

"Oh, I'm sorry Prince James." He reached forward and began to fix the mess of silk the prince had made. "Of course I can tie it."

James smirked. "I don't think I've ever seen you this distracted before. What are you thinking about? Maybe a certain someone special you'll be seeing at the ball?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just thinking about Princes Sofia."

The grin on his face widened. "Ah, so she told you then?"

Baileywick's green eyes snapped up to meet James. "Told me, what?"

At this the grin was wiped clean off his face, and he took a step back, clearing his throat. "Uh, nothing. Thanks for tying my cravat."

He tried to walk around Baileywick, but Baileywick reached an arm out, stopping him. "Prince James, I have heard the rumors about Princess Sofia having feelings for me. Is there any truth to them?"

James was silent for a moment, obviously debating with himself. Finally, he let out a sigh. "Yes, it's true—but you can't tell anyone, okay? I told Amber and Sofia I wouldn't tell anyone."

"They told you about it?"

James nodded. "Yeah, right after Sofia fell from the tower. I asked what happened and Amber said Sofia fell from the tower to try and get your attention because she was in love with you."

Baileywick nearly had a heart attack when he heard that. "She did what?"

James reached up and put both hands over his mouth. "Sh! You can't tell anyone I told you, remember? Sofia was embarrassed by it."

When he was sure Baileywick wouldn't yell, he removed his hands.

"James, if Princess Sofia has feelings for me—and is willing to risk her life to get my attention—it needs to be addressed!"

"No, you can't say anything! Look, I know it's kinda weird since you're old and—" James instantly cut himself off. "Uh, I mean…well, not exactly old, but older than her, and…it's kind of flattering, in a really creepy sort of way, you know? Her willing to risk life and limb to get your attention." He drew in a breath. "Just promise you won't say anything."

"James, duty dictates I must say something. If there is something disrupting the smooth running of the castle, it must be dealt with immediately."

He turned and strode away. As he walked down the hall, he thought he heard James mutter. "Oh man, Sofia is gonna kill me."

For those interested: I have been working on another Sofia The First fanfiction. It's not complete yet, and I probably won't be posting it soon (because I want to finish up some other incomplete stories) but it is in the works.

It's called Growing Pains, and here's a brief summary:

A magical accident involving one of Cedric's potions causes Sofia to age twenty years, and the matter is further complicated when it is learned the antidote to the potion is not known. Because it involved dark magic, the only way to break the potion is to either find a counter-potion or kill the caster of the curse—in this case, Cedric. He is given six months to find a counter-potion to reverse it, or else be executed. With Sofia now a grown woman, not only is Cedric's life on the line, but his heart as well.

If you liked How To Fall In Love (In Ten Easy Steps), you might like the new one. It's definitely not a romantic comedy. And I know the plot has already been done a few times before, but my story is going to deal with the darker side to growing up, and how jarring and scary it would be for Sofia to find herself in the body of a grown woman, with feelings she doesn't understand. In fact, the subject matter and themes are a bit dark, but it is not without hope. And although it's not strictly a comedy, there is some humor sprinkled in, as with all my stories. To see the progress I'm making on the story, feel free to check my profile. I'll always update the progress part when I've written more.

In the meantime, feel free to check out my other stories. You might find something you like! ;)

For readers of my other stories:

I have a few stories that aren't finished. My first priority at the moment is Sudden Surrender, but I will probably be working on the others as I work on it, so no worries.

Well, that's about it. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me to the very end, and hope you all enjoyed the short! :)