The Ties of Friendship

Summary: Rapunzel both gives and receives various forms of advice when she returns for a week-long meeting. (This will be a multi-chapter story, but most likely no more than four or five chapters. :D)

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First or Tangled. :D

A/N: Chapter 4 is here at last, and this time I do have the last two people from the "cover photo" in it. I didn't forget about these two. In fact, I was saving them for a specific few scenes. This is the last chapter, so get some popcorn and get your "aw" voices ready. ;)

Chapter 4: Make Your Own Magic

Toward the end of her stay in Enchancia, Rapunzel had made headway in the meetings and declared everything settled. Therefore, she had one last day to enjoy herself before returning home to Corona tomorrow.

It was on that final day that she had decided to spend some time with the royal inhabitants she'd come to know as her friends. And it was also on this day that she would make a new discovery of her very own.

"Rapunzel," Amber greeted with a smile as she walked up to the other princess with her twin in tow. "You've met my brother James, haven't you?"

"Briefly, but I don't think we really got to talk." She smiled down at the younger twin. "Hello, James. Nice to meet you."

James smiled goofily as he gazed up at the older princess. "Hi, Rapunzel," he said dreamily before snapping out of it and clearing his throat, blushing a bit. "I mean…hey." 'Nailed it,' he thought with an inward grin.

Rapunzel laughed and looked back at Amber. "Well, it's my last day here. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Oh, um…" She laughed lightly. "Actually, I'm supposed to go to my friend's birthday party for a few hours today, so I won't be around much." She pushed James in front of her, making him yelp. "But James could show you around for a while. You two can bond."

James shot his sister a look, realizing the way she'd said the final word was to tease him. "Sure, I'll be glad to show her around." He smiled happily up at the princess.

"Well, thank you, James. That's very kind of you." She glanced over toward Amber one more time. "So do I get a hug goodbye?"

Amber smiled and shrugged before hugging the princess. "I'll see you again soon, right?"

"Actually, you may. Your mother invited me back for one of her parties in a few weeks, so I'll see if I can make it."

The girl brightened. "Sounds great." She brushed out her dress and ran her fingers through her hair. "All right, have fun. I'll see you later, Rapunzel. James, behave yourself." She winked at her twin and giggled as she left.

James attempted to keep his embarrassment at bay as he motioned for Rapunzel to follow him as they walked outside. "So…have you had a good time in Enchancia?"

"I have," she responded thoughtfully. "I met your steward Baileywick this time too." She laughed. "He's a great guy, but he needs to relax."

"I know, right? We tried to tell him the same thing, but he's just like that. And he never slouches, but he's always getting onto me about it."

"Ha, I guess maybe it's for your better posture, hmm?"

"Something like that." He searched the confines of his mind for a good conversational topic before finally asking, "So what's it like being a princess?" He then realized how completely silly that sounded as she looked at him in confusion.

Rapunzel smiled a little, laughing. "Well…about the same as being a prince, I guess…except the opposite."

James blushed again, feeling rather foolish. He attempted to redeem himself though. "I-I know! I just meant…uh… What's it like being a princess in your kingdom?" 'Yeah, much better…'

"Oh, well, not much different from here, I guess… Except while you and Amber have known about your royalty your entire lives, I found out about mine a few years ago." She shrugged. "We're not that different, really."

"I see…" He looked down as Rex ran over with a bone in his mouth. He lit up. "Hey, boy! You want to play?" He paused and glanced toward the princess with him. "Um, Rapunzel, I'm so sorry… I completely forgot that Baileywick asked me to take Rex for his exercise earlier, and I'll never hear the end of it if I don't. I can catch up with you later if you want."

"That's fine." She smiled at him as he petted his dog. "I know just who else I need to visit before I leave anyway. I'll see you later." She waved as the other two took off before she turned and walked back inside the castle.

"Hi, Rapunzel!" Sofia greeted cheerfully when the blonde girl entered the halls. "Are you going to another meeting?"

"Nope," she said with a grin, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm done with that finally. I'll be going home tomorrow."

"Oh, well…are you doing anything right now?"

She placed her hands behind her back. "Not particularly. Why?"

Sofia smiled and held out her hand to Rapunzel, giggling as she took it. "In that case, I know something fun we can do."

A few minutes later, both princesses found themselves outside the door to Cedric's workshop.

Sofia grinned. "Watch this." She lifted her hand and knocked on the door in her typical pattern.

"I don't know why you're bothering even knocking, Sofia," Cedric's voice returned slightly sarcastically and part playfully, making the princesses snicker. "Come in."

The younger princess pushed Rapunzel in front of her. "Let's mess with his mind a little bit."

"Oh, very sneaky," the older princess teased, shaking her head. She opened the door and walked inside, surprising the sorcerer.

"P-Princess Rapunzel?" he asked in shock. "What are you doing here? And why does your knock sound so much like…?" He deadpanned as he heard a giggle. "Sofia, are you out there?"

"Maybe," the girl retorted with a grin as she peered from behind the blonde. "Did we fool you, Mr. Cedric?"

"Not at all. I was just slightly taken aback." He shrugged as Sofia ran over and hugged him before sitting on her usual chair. "How may I help you two?"

"Rapunzel is only here today and has to go back home tomorrow. I thought maybe she could learn some magic too."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Rapunzel stated, waving her hands. "I don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense." Cedric waved his wand over a potion he was working on and watched it bubble up. "As I know of your temperament, Princess Rapunzel, I assure you that you are not a bother. Now had it been a few other people I've run into…" He shrugged. "That would be a different story."

The blonde girl nodded with a grateful smile. "If you say so…" She walked over to the staircase and looked up, noticing a window at the very top. "Your workshop kind of reminds me of the tower I grew up in."

"That sounds like the beginning to an interesting story," Cedric commented, eyeing Sofia, who just smiled and shrugged.

"Well, it's not really so much a story I like telling," she responded with a small sigh. "But suffice it to say it's the story that taught me a lesson about people…a lesson I never really wanted to learn."

"And what's that?" Sofia asked curiously.

Rapunzel smiled somewhat sadly. "You really can't trust anybody fully… It just seems like people always let you down in some way."

Cedric considered her words before gesturing toward an empty stool. "Come, have a seat, my dear. There's something I need to tell you."

"Mr. Cedric?"

"It's all right, Princess Sofia," he responded gently as Rapunzel sat next to the younger girl. "Now, Princess Rapunzel, why is it you think you cannot rely on or trust others?" He tapped one of his vials with his wand and slid the spell book toward Sofia. "Page 52, fourth and fifth paragraphs."

Sofia blinked and turned to the page indicated. She read the passages as the other two talked.

"I don't know," Rapunzel told Cedric as she folded her arms over her stomach. "I just haven't had a lot of luck with a lot of different kinds of people. Sure, most of them mean well or at least apologize later if that wasn't originally the case, but I still can't shake this feeling that people are always going to be out to get me for one reason or another: whether it's magical hair, or the royal status, or whatever…" She sighed. "And I don't want to feel that way, believe me. It's just hard not to sometimes, you know?"

"Oh, believe me," Cedric answered with a huff. "I know. I'm in the same metaphorical boat many times. Being a demonstrator of magical talents can be tough, especially when people want you to constantly entertain them with such abilities. Granted, for me, it's part of my job; however, that doesn't make it any less annoying."

"It sounds like we're somewhat alike." Rapunzel glanced up at him.

"In some aspects, Princess, yes…we are."

Sofia looked up from reading to smile at the interaction between her two friends before continuing to study her passages. She was starting to get an idea of what Cedric seemed to want her to do.

"But doesn't that make you wary of people?" the older princess wondered curiously, green eyes locked on the sorcerer.

"Very. But…I will say that sometimes people will surprise you." He nodded toward Sofia, who was too busy to notice.

Rapunzel smiled thoughtfully at his indication. "Hmm…"

"Sometimes, there are people who will stand up for you against all odds and make you a better person in the end. And if you find that person, hold tight, because that's a rare find. They don't come in large quantities anymore, if they ever did."

"So what you're saying is…" She waved a hand in question, hoping he'd conclude for her so she wouldn't have to ponder his meaning, though she had a pretty good idea of what he was trying to say.

"There's good in everyone," Cedric told her with a smile. "You just have to be conscious enough to find it."

Sofia took her wand from the table and waved it slightly as she recited lines she'd just read: "Summon the senses from within; aid my quest to free the heart. No more doubts; let's now mend the bond of all with a renewed start." When she finished her spell, from the end of her wand appeared a gold necklace with a purple heart and what appeared to be white wings sprouting from it. She looked toward Rapunzel with a grin. "Try it on."

Hesitating a bit at first, Rapunzel took the necklace and fastened it around her neck. "Now what?"

"Now look at Sofia," Cedric instructed as he walked to stand next to Rapunzel. "And what do you notice?"

Before she could reply with an obvious answer, the older princess took her time, smiling. "Courageous, loyal, friendly, intuitive, intellectual, and fair." She raised her eyebrows in wonder as she grasped the necklace in surprise. "What exactly does this do?"

Cedric tapped the purple jewel heart with his own wand, giving it one final magical boost. "It shows you the good in people. Consider it a gift from both of us." He chuckled as she observed it carefully. "Perhaps in a way, this can encourage you to make your own magic, so to speak."

She laughed. "I've always been pretty good at that," she joked. "But thank you both…especially you, Cedric."

The sorcerer laughed shyly and waved his hands modestly. "Oh, don't thank me, dear girl. I just…" He froze when he found that Rapunzel was hugging him. Sofia, he was used to by now…but this was quite different.

Sofia giggled. "See, Mr. Cedric? You're very huggable."

He laughed nervously. "So I see…"

Rapunzel smiled up at him as she released him from the hug. "You don't get hugs very often, do you?"

"On the contrary." He gestured toward his apprentice. "Princes Sofia insists on giving me one every day…something about needing affection or friendly contact, or something of that nature."

Sofia grinned. "Rapunzel, I think you're going to have to hug him again. He seems to have missed the point."

"N-No, no! I'm fine!" He laughed and moved away toward his side of the table. "Besides, it would be my luck that King Roland would enter, see you hugging me, get the wrong idea, report it to your husband, and I'd be carted off to prison or something gruesome like that."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes with a smile. "You exaggerate everything, don't you?" She laughed. "Anyway, thank you both so much. This had been a really interesting trip." She looked down at her necklace again, tracing the jewel fondly.

The next day, the family bid Rapunzel goodbye as she left on her journey home. It was sort of bittersweet, but they knew they'd see her again very soon.

"I just wish I hadn't abandoned her to play with Rex," James lamented with a sigh later on.

Baileywick shook his head. "See, Prince James? If you had walked Rex earlier like I had instructed you, you possibly could have spent more time with her."

He pouted. "I'll never doubt you again, Baileywick."

"So," Roland started as he looked toward his family and staff members who were outside. "I hear Princess Rapunzel is a good advice giver. At least that's what the children told me. And I hear she helped both of you out." He looked toward Baileywick and Cedric.

"Actually, she did, Your Majesty," Baileywick said with a smile. "She told me to do my best and not stress…kind of what you have all told me all along. She's a fine princess."

Miranda smiled and nodded. "I think so too. She's been a good influence on our children also."

"And what'd she tell you, Cedric?" Roland asked curiously, glancing at the sorcerer.

Cedric smiled somewhat uncertainly. "That I needed to be more…huggable, Your Majesty."

Miranda and Baileywick started snickering at this as the kids just smiled. Roland blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing, Your Majesty!" He looked down to see Sofia tugging at his sleeve, gesturing toward the castle. "Forgive me, Your Majesties, but it's time for the princess's lessons. Good afternoon." He led the princess onward before the king could interrogate him any further.

As everyone else dispersed and went their own ways, things returned to normal. But they each heeded the individual bits of advice given to them by the Princess of Corona and ultimately found that things really could improve for the better.

The end

A/N: Well, that's it. This "ties" up "The Ties of Friendship." :D I plan to have another Rapunzel story out eventually, dealing with a journey she takes with the twins. Should be interesting. ;) I just have to work out all the details. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story. I'm kind of sad to see it end. Ah, well. All good things, right? :) Have a great week, and look for another story by Friday or Saturday most likely. You never know what I'm going to expel from the depths of my mind next! ~AquaTurquoise