I do not own Sofia the First.

Concluding chapter. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this short tale.

Royal Princess and Royal Sorcerer

Though Amber had a strict policy against poor posture, she was making an exception this particular time. She slouched on a wooden stool, staring blankly ahead as Cedric gently spread some sort of medical potion over the dark bruise on her cheek.

"Well, you certainly got off from that easy," he drawled, stepping back and inspecting the girl for any more injuries. Satisfied that there were none, he set his potion back in its proper place. "Your brother, on the other hand, look liked he single-handedly fought off a horde of bandits."

"You're exaggerating," muttered Amber, though guilt flared in her stomach. "I didn't hurt him that bad…it was just his nose."

"You did a number on it, that's for sure." Cedric shut the door to his wooden potions cupboard. "Never thought you'd be the one with a mean right hook."

The blonde flushed. "If you're going to compliment me on something, I'd rather it be over something other than my so-called fighting skills." She went quiet for a moment before asking, "So…am I in trouble?"

Cedric snorted and pretended to think. "Oh, I don't know. Let's see. You were brawling with your brother in the middle of the corridor. Just another normal castle occurrence, I suppose."

Amber wrinkled her nose. "Is the sarcasm really necessary?"

"Is your attitude really necessary?"

She pursed her lips together and glared at her feet. She was known for her sharp wit and equally-as-sharp tongue. There were few people who could outdo her when it came to sarcasm, and unfortunately for her, Cedric was pretty much the king of sarcasm. Though she often enjoyed their exchanges, she was not really in the mood for it today.

"Okay, okay," she sighed, shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry. I'm just…" Her lower lip trembled and her eyes started to swim with tears. She buried her head into her hands and choked out, "What am I supposed to do now?"

Cedric muffled a groan and rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing the distraught girl wearily. He was far from comfortable dealing with tears. Should have taken James instead, he thought, knowing that the boy wouldn't need as much comfort as his sister. But she was here, and he could not just send her on her way, not when he could understand and sympathize with her plight.

"Princess, you're not getting kicked out of the castle," Cedric pointed out. "You're only eighteen-you still have schooling left."

"What's the point?" said Amber bitterly, and Cedric was hit with a flashback when he himself uttered the words in his youthful years, completely downtrodden with his not-so-spectacular performance at sorcery school.

And from prior experience with Sofia, he learned that the best way to teach a lesson was by sharing his own relatable, personal experience.

"You know, I said the same thing when I was about your age," he said, using his wand to levitate a stool over so he could sit beside the girl.

Amber lifted her head to peer at the man. "You did?"

"Mmm-hmm. I was halfway through my magic schooling when I fell into a depression. Everyone around me could do magic better than me, and I still had difficulty with spellcasting, even in my senior years. It didn't help that my father is Goodwin the Great. Everyone expected me to be just as good as him-but I wasn't. It took me a while to realize that I just had to be myself, and be happy with that."

"But you never had any competition to become Enchancia's Royal Sorcerer," Amber pointed out. "Your sibling never went to magic school, did she?"

"No," Cedric reluctantly admitted. "But that's not the point I was trying to make. You think that just because you're not going to be queen that your life no longer holds any important meaning. I felt the same way during my period of self-doubt. If I wasn't good enough to take my father's place, then what was I going to do?"

The blonde stared at the stone floor glumly. "I guess I can see where you're coming from. But everything worked out for you. I spent my whole life working to become Queen of Enchancia. Now all of my effort, everything I've ever worked towards is gone. It's all wasted."

"It's not wasted. You don't learn all that stuff in school just for the sole purpose to be the next ruler. There are plenty of kids in your year with siblings. You think all of them are going to get to rule their land?"

Amber slowly shook her head. "No."

"Exactly. They're going to find a role that helps them contribute to society in a way that fits them best. Just because you're not going to be queen doesn't mean your life is over. In fact, it's only beginning."

Lifting her head, Amber was quiet as she thought about Cedric's words. She had been so crushed at being denied what she believed to be her life's purpose that she did not take any time to think that just because one door had closed didn't mean they all had. There were so many opportunities still out there for her, some of which wouldn't even be possible if she had been chosen as the next heir.

"I know I shouldn't have reacted the way I did," she said softly. "But I was just so…mad. I mean, you ever believe something so strongly that when it's taken away, you feel nothing but fury and bitterness?"

Cedric resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "More than you know, Princess. But it wasn't entirely all your fault. Your father never said anything to the contrary every time you made a remark about you ascending to the throne. He allowed you to believe that you were the obvious choice."

"Perhaps, but most of the fault falls on my shoulders." Amber's expression turned somber. "I'm always preaching about what a princess should be. Gracious, polite, generous-but I'm not so good at putting these things into practice. James is going to hate me forever."

"Only if you don't swallow your pride and apologize," replied Cedric. "Are you alright, then?"

Amber took a breath. "Yeah…yeah. I'm feeling better." The eighteen-year-old wiped the lingering tears from her lashes and cast a sincere smile at Cedric. "Thank you. I know talking to us royal twin brats isn't your favourite pastime."

Cedric smirked. "Well, you both got more tolerable as you matured."

Amber blinked. "James matured?"

"And here come the snippy remarks. You are feeling better."

Amber laughed, and Cedric silently admitted that it was nice to see the smile on the girl's face again. "Thanks to you." She paused for a moment before asking, "James told me Sofia was Dad's first choice. If she would tell anybody the reason for her refusal, it'd be you. So how come?"

Cedric smiled slightly. "She felt she was not the best choice. She would much prefer helping from the sidelines than taking center stage, as she so put it."

"That sounds a lot like her. She's going to be great at whatever she decides she wants to do."

"As will you, Princess."

Smiling, Amber stood up and leaned over, embracing Cedric. "You know, if you get tired of being our sorcerer, you could be a counsellor instead."

"Merlin, no. You three are about as much as I can take." Cedric returned the blonde's embrace. "Go find your brother."

"Okay. See you later."

Amber left the cool, drafty lair and went up the spiral stairs. She entered the warm, glowing marble corridors and took the well-travelled path to her brother's bedroom. She paused in front of his door, biting on her lower lip nervously. She took a sharp breath and rapped on the door. "James? It's me."

"Come in," her brother said softly.

Amber entered the spacious bedroom, finding her twin lying on his bed. She took one look at his bandaged nose and her eyes swam with tears once more. "Oh, James, I'm so sorry."

Sitting up, James was filled with unexplainable relief as he opened his arms and said, "Come here."

Amber rushed across the room and went into her twin's firm hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not," insisted James. "I was just upset. I didn't mean what I said."

"I was jealous," sniffed Amber. "I couldn't even be happy for you."

James pulled back and looked at his sister intently. "Are you happy now?"

She nodded. "I am. You're not a goof-off. You're going to be a great king. And I'll help any way I can."

James smiled widely. "Thank you." He squeezed her shoulders. "For what it's worth, I think you would have made a great queen."

"Thanks. I really am sorry."

"Hey, we can't keep apologizing," joked James. "It'll never end. It's cool. We're cool." He linked arms with her. "We're twintastic."

"Please don't use such language when you have to deliver speeches," sighed Amber. "It's ridiculous."

James laughed. "We'll see. Come on. Let's see if we can get some food. Maybe we can snag some dessert before Baileywick's Fist of Grounding strikes down on us."

"Alright," conceded Amber with a smile. "Whatever you'd like. It's your celebration day, after all. King James."

The blonde teen beamed.

He really liked the sound of that.

But he liked having his twin sister back even more.