Chapter 4

Sofia yawned tiredly as she walked into the cafeteria for lunch. After art class it had been time for History of the Kingdoms, which meant that she had just spent an hour and a half listening to the teacher discuss how Enchancia, Khaldoun, and Wei Ling had come together to form the Tri Kingdom Area. Sofia liked history to a degree. It was intriguing to learn about all the different cultures of the Ever Realm. But actually having to remember things like dates and names for tests just wasn't her thing. She would rather be doing magic, and she couldn't wait until Advanced Sorcery, which was her last class that day. She and Amber may have been taking most of the same classes, but their daily schedules weren't always the same. The last classes of the day were always the optional ones that kids could sign up for. Instead of Advanced Sorcery, Amber had chosen Royal Fashion, which hadn't surprised Sofia.

Hearing a sigh behind her, Sofia turned to see her sister walking sluggishly through the cafeteria doors, a very bored look on her face. "Amber, are you okay?"

"Ugh, math," the blonde groaned. "Of all the subjects a future queen has to take. I'm just glad it's over for today."

Sofia smiled sympathetically, "Well, I know something that will cheer you up." She took her sister's hand and started leading her to the lunch line. "I heard they have strawberry cake for dessert. Your favorite."

"Ooh, really?" Amber squealed. In one quick step she was ahead of Sofia, practically dragging the younger girl along. "Then let's not delay any further."

A few minutes later, both girls were carrying trays and looking for a place to sit. Normally, Amber would sit with the more popular crowd, but after that morning's fiasco, she didn't really feel like listening to Delia's talk of fashion. Sofia had her own group of friends, but today those friends were scattered all over the cafeteria.

"Hey, let's sit with Monica," Sofia exclaimed, seeing the new girl sitting at a table by herself, reading a book as she ate.

"I don't know, Sofia. She looks pretty content by herself."

"Ah, come on, Amber," Sofia smiled encouragingly. "I want to get to know her better. Besides," she gestured with her chin toward all the crowded tables, "where else do you want to sit?"

"Oh, all right."

Sofia walked right up to the handicapped girl followed by Amber. She cleared her throat to get her attention. "Hi, Monica! Can we sit with you?"

The brunette smiled, setting aside her book. "Of course, Princess Sofia, Princess Amber."

"Please, there's no need for titles," Amber said, sitting down.

"Yeah," Sofia agreed, sitting beside her sister. "We want to be your friends, and friends don't use titles."

"Oh, speaking of which," Amber grinned as she glanced at Sofia. "When are you going to drop Cedric's title? You've been friends a few years now."

Sofia paused and blushed. "I–I don't know, Amber. He… he's still older than me… And he's still my mentor, Heh…"

"Mm. I noticed you never gave Baileywick a title."

Sofia blushed even more. "Amber…"

"Who are Cedric and Baileywick?" Monica asked curiously.

"Cedric is our Royal Sorcerer," Amber replied, picking up her sandwich. "Baileywick is our steward."

"Oh, you're from the same kingdom," Monica exclaimed in surprise. Seeing their confused looks, she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I just assumed you were friends. You don't look anything like sisters."

The Enchancians exchanged looks of amusement.

"We're stepsisters, actually," Sofia explained, sipping her chocolate milk. "My mom was a shoemaker in our village when she made the king new slippers a few years ago. When they met, it was love at first sight." She sighed happily.

"Oh. So what kingdom are you from?" the new girl asked.

"Enchancia." Amber frowned slightly when a realization occurred to her. Okay, it wasn't exactly unheard of for people they'd just met to assume that she and Sofia were just friends, especially if no one specifically said they were sisters. What was odd was that Monica didn't seem to know that Sofia was the Princess Sofia. Almost everyone had heard of her. "Monica, haven't you heard of Sofia?"

Sofia choked on a grape. She knew what was coming. "Amber, please…"

Monica smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, but no."

The blonde sighed dramatically and grinned. "Well, I'll be glad to fill you in." She gestured to her sister, whose face was now a bright pink hue. "This is Princess Sofia of Enchancia and Protector of the Ever Realm. She goes on missions to help people in need. She helps keep the world safe. Last year she even defeated a wicked sorceress who was trying to take over the whole realm."

"But, Amber," Sofia put in modestly. "I didn't do all that by myself. Everyone helped me."

"Yes, but you were the one who defeated Vor in the end." Amber smiled in satisfaction, taking a bite of her strawberry cake.

Monica hummed. "Now that you mention it, I think I have heard of Sofia. But I thought she was older." Seeing the other girls staring at her, she shrugged. "I don't get out very much. I was always taught by a tutor at home until today. My parents decided it was time for me to be around other kids, so here I am."

Amber blinked. "Oh." To Sofia she quietly muttered. "Well, that explains a few things."

Sofia nudged her sister and offered the new girl a bright smile. "So, what kinds of things do you like to do?"

Monica's face brightened. "Well, I love to read and write poetry. And I like to paint. What about you two?"

"I like to paint too. I also like fashion and astronomy," Amber said. "Oh, I should tell you that I discovered a new star a few years ago. I named it the Amberina Major." She waved her fork proudly.

"Oh, that is so impressive," Monica exclaimed. "I've seen that star. And you discovered it? Awesome!"

Amber just smiled.

"What about you, Sofia? What kinds of thing do you like?" Monica turned her gray eyes toward the younger princess.

"Oh, I like a lot of things," the auburn haired girl said, shrugging. "But my most favorite things are going on Protector missions and doing magic. I'm Mr. Cedric's apprentice. He's taught me so many ah–mazing things, and–"

"And you're blushing," Amberteased, snickering as Monica giggled. "I can see who's going to get the best Valentine card from you."

"Amber…" Sofia could feel her cheeks growing hot. She searched her mind desperately for something else to talk about. Seeing her sister's cake sitting innocently on its plate, she stuttered. "So… uh… is your cake good, Amber?"

The blonde just smirked.

The three of them talked until it was time to go to their next classes.

A/N: I'm putting this story on hold for a little bit to focus on one of my romances. Hopefully, I'll get back to it soon.