AN: Hey, look! It's another one of those 'supposed to be a one-shot' things! Fortunately, this will not be nearly as long as Offer Your Throat to the Wolf and I swear to you it will be a hell of a lot more light-hearted!

If you've read You Just Might Get It then you might recognize the Sorcerer's Soirée. Please note this story is a stand alone and is not in any way tied to the events in You Just Might Get It.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

The Sorcerer's Soirée was the premier occasion of the year for every sorcerer and sorceress in the world, should one manage to obtain an invite. It was such an exclusive event that merely attending insured one high esteem within the realm of magical practitioners. It was something that Sofia had often heard Cedric talk about but it was something she'd never dreamed she'd be eligible to attend.

That was why it came as such an exciting surprise when Cedric approached her one evening after supper to inform her that he had secured an ever elusive invitation to the Sorcerer's Soirée and that he would like to extend the invitation to her as his guest. It took everything within her power to contain herself and her throbbing heart as she happily accepted.

She had been far too ecstatic at the prospect of attending such an event with her long time mentor that it didn't occur to her until it was far too late that the evening in question happened to fall on the same night that she and her family were set to host a grand party of their own to celebrate the royal family of a newly established nearby kingdom.

Her heart sank when she realized she would have to inform Cedric she wouldn't be able to attend the Sorcerer's Soirée with him.

But each time she tried to inform the man that she had a prior engagement she found herself unable to do so. He was very frenzied, so worried about making a good impression on the organization holding the event to the point of meticulously planning topics of conversation for the evening as well as coordinating their wardrobe in appropriate colors. She simply couldn't bring herself to tell him that she couldn't attend.

This wasn't the first instance that her royal duties had stood in the way of doing something else she would have preferred. In fact, it seemed that more often than not she was brushing plans with Cedric aside for what she was required to do as a princess. She didn't want to do it again, especially when the event was so important to Cedric.

She didn't want to disappoint him.

But on the day of the events she knew she had to take action. Both her family and Cedric were counting on her to be there for them like she said she would be. She felt she was out of options and she knew she would have to break the news to someone that she was unable to hold up her end of the bargain.

She went to her sister, seeking advice about what she ought to do.

"Amber..." Sofia said with a sigh. "I could really use your help."

"Oh! Do you need me to help you pick out a gown to wear tonight?" Amber chimed happily. "I'd be more than willing."

Sofia sighed and clenched her hands together. "No, I already know what gown I'm going to wear. Well, sort of. There's two gowns, you see. One for the party tonight and one for the Sorcerer's Soirée... also tonight."

"Sorcerer's Soirée?" Amber asked, looking up at Sofia's reflection in the mirror. "Isn't that the little party you were so excited about Cedric inviting you to?"

"It's not just a little party, Amber." Sofia replied. "It's the biggest event of the year for a sorcerer to attend and it's really important to Mr. Cedric."

Amber smirked at the fact that her sister, well into her twenties at this point, still referred to the royal sorcerer as Mr. despite outranking him in every way. She returned her attention to her make-up and gave the younger woman a shrug. "So what are you going to do? You know you should be here with us tonight. It's the diplomatic thing to do."

"Yes, I know." Sofia said, lowering her gaze.

"But you also want to go to that silly little party with Cedric." Amber replied. "And I know that's the party you'd rather attend given your infatuation with him."

Sofia turned crimson and averted her eyes from her sister's reflection. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"No, of course not." Amber cast her sister a knowing grin and rolled her eyes. "Anyhow, the answer is obvious. Just make a copy of yourself like you did that one time when we were children."

Sofia's eyes grew wide at her sister's suggestion and at first it seemed like the perfect solution. But she quickly remembered how it had backfired on her all those years ago. The copy she had made of herself had turned out to be a vile, rotten little thing with no regard for anyone but herself. "Don't you remember what happened last time I did that? She turned out horrible. I can't do that again."

"But you're much better at magic this time around." Amber replied. "You have years of practice under your belt. I'm sure that if you made a copy now she would turn out absolutely fine."

"I just don't know." Sofia said apprehensively. "It's so risky. If something goes wrong-"

"How about I keep an eye on her for you?" Amber offered. "And if she starts to act up I'll simply get rid of her and tell everyone that you were feeling ill. I may not be as skilled as you when it comes to magic but I think I can handle a counter-spell without too much hassle."

Sofia turned away from her sister and looked at the ground in thought. There was nothing she wanted more than to spend the evening with Cedric as his guest at one of the most prestigious events of the year. Still, the thought of what could go wrong in her absence was petrifying. "But what if-"

"What if the sun doesn't come up tomorrow? What if the entire world falls out from under our feet?" Amber retorted as she stood and approached her sister, clasping the young woman's shoulders reassuringly. "There's an entire world of 'what ifs' out there, Sofia. You can't live your life by them."

Sofia shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at her sister. "But-"

"I have some 'what ifs' for you. What if you and Cedric go to this party and have the time of your lives? What if he finally stops looking at you as his apprentice and starts looking at you as something more?"

"I..." Sofia blushed as she considered Amber's words. The idea of Cedric looking at her in the way she looked at him was a thrilling one. She'd wanted him to really see her for so long that just imagining it was enough to make her whole body quake. "Okay, I'll do it."

Amber smiled widely and patted her sister on the head. "I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time at your little party."

"I hope you're right." Sofia said quietly.