Beyond Expectations

Summary: Sofia recounts the events of the past year and what's happened since then, as well as the next part of her journey. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First.

A/N: I'm SO EXCITED to present this final story of Beyond Enchancia! :D It's been a long time coming, and it's finally here! 😊 And in here you will discover the big surprise I've had planned, and Sofia's going to give you all an update on several things that have gone on the last year during which this story took place. So hang on. 😉 Mångata will likely begin later this week or next week!

PS: Thanks to allyrwhitney for informing me that this is my 350th Sofia the First story. That's crazy! Lol. Thanks for keeping up with me all this time! 😊 I appreciate it so much! Oh! And this whole diary/journal/flashback scenario is a throwback to a rather old story of mine: "Breaking Point." I inserted the lines to separate the writing/flashbacks and so on. Enjoy!

*Twenty-Seventh Story/Episode 27*

Sofia lay down on her bed, her hair down and scattered along her new purple quilt and her lavender pajamas already on as it was getting dark outside. It was late September now, and there was a little chill in the air as the seasons had begun changing. She was back to her studies at Ever Realm Academy and was doing even better academically this year (likely due to the fact that she'd had a relatively stress-free summer with no villains to speak of; she'd merely taken up the role of Cedric's honorary ambassador or whatever title he'd given her, and they'd traveled once again as representatives of Enchancia). She was in her final year of schooling as well, so she was curious what lay beyond the familiar comfort of academia.

She pulled a small and rather worn purple tablet labeled 'Sofia's Stories' from underneath her pillow, flipping past a few pages with somewhat childish handwriting. Smiling, she realized it was her own handwriting, from entries made when she was eight years old and a newcomer to the castle. She briefly skimmed over the words before flipping to a clean page, unlatching the quill that she'd kept fastened to the front of the tiny book. She began writing.

24 September (15 years old)

I know it's been years since I've written in here, and I know a lot has happened since I last updated, but I feel now is an appropriate time to start up again. When I say a lot has happened, I mean it… Where do I even start? I guess we could always start with Mr. Greylock and Princess Ivy, and their new baby…

"Cedric, Princess Sofia," Greylock began as he led his friends into his and Ivy's private bedroom on their island, "I'd like you to meet our daughter: Zinnia."

Cedric and Sofia stood side by side in the bedroom, having stopped to check on their friends while on the way back to Enchancia after a long summer filled with traveling yet again. The little one, according to Greylock, was born on July 10—a week and a half ago.

The baby was fair like her mother and had hair black as midnight, though her eyes were hazel like Greylock's. She was dressed in an obviously-Ivy-inspired onesie, which happened to be both black and white with outlines of butterflies scattered about the fabric. She lay in her mother's arms, happy and content.

Ivy, for her part, looked the same as always but was clearly tired. Her hair was tossed up in a sloppy, drooping bun, and she had a heavy black robe tied tightly around her waist as she sat in a rocking chair, rocking the little girl to sleep once more. She glanced up, smiling. "I was wondering if you two were going to visit us," she remarked, her sarcasm still shining through. "Seems I can't go a year anymore without a visit from the oh-so-clever Princess Sofia."

Sofia smirked, folding her arms. "Nice to see you too, Ivy."

"I hear your mom and dad had a baby, too?" She laughed as the teen nodded. "Greylock told me that there have apparently been a lot of babies recently."

"He's not wrong," Cedric chuckled. "Say, I have an idea." He grinned playfully toward his old classmate. "If you two ever have a son, you should call him…"

Greylock narrowed his eyes, catching the other sorcerer's drift. "Don't you dare."

"Greyson." Cedric laughed as the brunette groaned in annoyance. "I mean, it's perfect, when you think about it!"

"Cedric, puns don't work for you, my friend. Leave the punny business to the professionals." He smirked at the Enchancian sorcerer's eye roll.

"Knock-knock!" a cheery voice sang as Miss Nettle flitted into the room, an apron tied around her waist and a basketful of laundry in her hands. She dropped it onto the floor. "There you are! One load done."

Ivy sighed in relief. "Thanks, Nettle."

"Ah-ah, it's Nana Nettle now!" She grinned and gently caressed Zinnia's cheek, sighing fondly as the baby smacked her lips softly in her sleep. "Our little Zinnia is just too adorable!"

Sofia shook her head as she considered the sight before her. It was hard to believe that, at some point, everyone she was currently surrounded by (save for Zinnia, of course) was considered a villain at one point in time. Yet here they were, acting like some sort of wholesome, happy family. It was so weird to her how much people could change… She smiled softly as she watched their interactions: Miss Nettle fawning over both Ivy and Zinnia, and Cedric and Greylock picking on each other like old times. "The way it should be," she murmured to herself before Ivy called her over to meet the baby.

Amber and Desmond are even closer than before, especially after the whole Princess Imaldrina and Galiviano incident. She keeps insisting that they're not actually courting yet, but they could have fooled me… Ha! Even if that is the case, I wish they'd go ahead and make it official already. They obviously love each other, and no one would object to them officially courting, even now. Besides, James and I can't wait to have Desmond in the family. He's a sweet guy.

Meanwhile, Ms. Cordelia has started substituting at Hexley Hall, which Calista both loves and hates. She's happy to have her mom nearby during her school day, but this is Ms. Cordelia we're talking about… She apparently tends to say some embarrassing things from time to time, and poor Calista just has to deal with it. She's too nice to confront her mom, but Mr. Cedric isn't. Haha! He flat out told her, 'Your overzealous and hovering nature are driving Calista bonkers. Knock it off.' Gotta love Mr. Cedric!

Sofia paused a moment, nibbling a bit on the side of her pen as she looked down at all she'd written so far. Her entry covered a few pages, the ink still glistening and shimmering in the flickering candlelight. She sighed and continued writing.

In more of her entries, she discussed how Chef Andre had spoken of his impending retirement (though he had a replacement lined up: his nephew Chef Oleander), how her parents would soon be celebrating their eighth anniversary of being married, how James was excelling in his efforts of pursuing knighthood, how Baileywick had actually taken a vacation with his brother Nigel recently… So many updates she'd recalled, but one stood out among them all.

Sofia inhaled slowly before feeling a smile slowly spread across her face.

I've saved the best update for last… Because even I still can't believe what happened. Every time I think about it, I just become speechless. Like, is this real? Did this actually happen? To outsiders it may not seem like a big deal, but to me…it's everything. It means so much to me…

And now that I've got you curious, I guess it's time to tell you the full story. Mr. Cedric called me up to his workshop earlier today to have an important discussion. In all honesty, I was so nervous. He was so…serious. I didn't know what to expect…

"Sofia, there's something important I'd like to discuss with you," Cedric requested as his apprentice stood at his door. "Please, come in." He walked back toward his work table.

She frowned curiously as she stepped inside the workshop, Wormwood's soft snores as he slept on his perch the only other sound she could hear. She felt nervous all of a sudden. Her friend was looking at her so pensively, and she didn't know quite what to expect next. "What is it, Mr. Cedric?"

"Have a seat," he encouraged her, gesturing toward a second rolling stool. Once she was seated, he sat on his own stool and rolled it in front of her, his gaze focused as he looked at her. He finally smiled when he realized how worried she appeared. "Relax, dear girl. It's nothing you've done, and you're not in trouble, by any means."

"Well, that's a relief," she sighed, laughing breathlessly before shaking her head slowly. "Then, what is it? What's the 'something important' you needed to tell me?"

"It's more of a question, actually." He extended his hands a bit, smiling as she grasped them. "You've been my apprentice for quite some time now."

She nodded. "Seven years," she responded, hardly believing the reality. Seven years she'd worked with this royal sorcerer. Seven years they'd conquered bad guys, mastered spells, and gone on adventures together… "Wow. It seems like such a long time when you say it out loud."

"Indeed." He gently squeezed her hands as they remained clasped together. "Which leads me to my question…" He cleared his throat, feeling himself become anxious all of a sudden. He wasn't sure why. He'd thought about this conversation for so long at this point, and he'd gotten it memorized by heart. So… Was it the fact that it was now being spoken aloud, and to the person to whom it was meant to be directed? Pushing his nerves aside, he slowly exhaled before smiling toward her again. "You and I have been through a great deal together in the time that you've been my apprentice. And no matter what's occurred in the past, I've enjoyed every moment of it. But I feel that I owe you something better…" He eyed her seriously as she watched him uncertainly. "Sofia, I don't want you to be my apprentice anymore."

"Wh-What?" She was stunned. Truly stunned. This was not the direction she'd seen this conversation going. He said she hadn't done anything wrong. Then, why…? "Mr. Cedric, I—" She blinked as she found his finger pressed against her lips, silencing her.

"I don't want you to be my apprentice anymore," he repeated, a small smile forming on his lips, and a mischievous twinkle gleaming in his eye. "I want you to be my partner."

The girl's blue eyes widened as her friend retracted his hands, folding them into his lap. "What?"

"It's something I've been considering for quite some time. In all honesty, I can't think of anyone else who would be better suited to the role."

"I…" She grinned excitedly before laughing. "You want me to be your partner?!"

"It's a much better role than that of an apprentice, I assure you." He chuckled as she continued gaping at him in shock. "You've more than earned it, Sofia. Many times, you've surpassed me, proving that you'd be perfect for this. As my partner, you'll no longer be a novice. You'll know everything I know, do everything I do, and go anywhere I go—if you'd like to do so, of course."

"Really?" She nodded fervently, reaching out and hugging him happily. "Yes! Yes, of course I'll be your partner!" She giggled excitedly as she pulled back, grinning toward him. "That sounds so weird. I'm Cedric the Sensational's—excuse me, Cedric the Great's—partner." She giggled. "What does that make me? Sofia the Stupendous?"

"Sofia, you're something else," he laughed.

"You've said that before, Mr. Cedric." She spun around happily on the stool before finally growing still again, her beaming smile never dwindling. Her eyes caught Cedric's, and she laughed softly. "So… What's next for us…, partner?" A pleasant warm sensation filled her heart as she spoke to him now. She was still taken aback, but… She could just feel it: this was the start of something big and new, and as far as she was concerned, something wonderful.

Cedric chuckled and gestured toward her amulet. "May I?"

Had it been four years ago, even as close as they were, Sofia would have hesitated. Now, she simply nodded and held her amulet up to his visage.

He carefully tapped the chain with his wand, whispering some unknown spell and causing a small purple charm in the shape of a raven to appear right next to the pink jewel. "There you are. We both have one, actually." He tugged the top part of his robe back to reveal a matching charm fastened into the left collar of his green shirt. "Similar to your GuardoRing, this charm links us together."

"Why a charm?" she wondered.

He smirked. "Because… I remember once describing you as… 'Irritatingly charming.'" He shrugged as she laughed. "Now, I guess I can call you 'endearingly charming.'"

Sofia smiled toward him. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric." She looked down and played with the charm for a few moments, and then she looked back at him. "Things are about to change, aren't they?"

Cedric considered her words before nodding. "All good things change with time, my dear." He reached over to her left hand and patted it. "I suppose we'll just have to see what awaits us now, won't we?"

She nodded, turning her hand and grasping his. "So, what's next? Mångata?"

He smiled thoughtfully. "Yes… And just you wait until you see what else I have in store…"

I can't imagine what else Mr. Cedric has planned… He made me his partner—his partner! I'm not just his apprentice anymore. We're going to work together; we're linked together with the charm, so no one can tear us apart again. We've been through so much all these years, and I'm finally starting to feel like we, as Magical Protectors, can actually do just about anything…as long as we do it together. Mr. Cedric told me a few months ago that we're stronger together. You know what? …I think he's right.

Sofia shut the tablet and refastened the quill to the front of it before sliding it back under her pillow. She sat back against her pillows, playing with the tiny purple charm dangling from her amulet again. Purple and a raven. How typical of Cedric. She giggled before yawning. It was already late, judging by the darkness of the skies and the height of the moon outside her window. Finally feeling fatigue overtake her, she settled down under the covers and drifted off to sleep, pleasant dreams filling her mind for once, rather than the sordid nightmares of the past.

Cedric, in the meantime, was working late as usual. He'd just finished his final potion of the evening and had put all of his materials away before deciding to call it a night. He looked toward the new perch next to the wall where Wormwood slept, and he felt a fond smile appearing on his face.

Wormwood had been doing so well recently. Of course, the snippy remarks and sarcastic nature were still around, but Cedric wouldn't trade those for the world. Wormwood wouldn't be Wormwood without those qualities. However, he didn't sense any ill intentions from the raven anymore. He assumed it was due to his connection with the younger raven, Nina, and his desire to prove to her that he could be a better raven. Of course, he hadn't actually said that, but Cedric knew better. Making Nina happy and proud meant more to him than he'd let on, or that he'd ever admit.

Yawning, the sorcerer walked toward his bedroom, taking the time to change into his pajamas before collapsing onto his bed. He'd had to take off the little charm that he shared with Sofia, so he now held it between his fingers, staring curiously at it for a bit.

This charm meant more than most would realize. It represented his and Sofia's strong bond. It also symbolized their new partnership and emphasized their unwavering connection to one another. He sighed softly and placed it on his bedside table before tugging off his gloves, dropping them next to the charm. Next, he doused the lamp he'd been using before and pulled his covers taught around him.

In a matter of only a couple of months, he and Sofia would be on their way to the secret land of Mångata. He truly couldn't wait. No one else knew of this place, save perhaps for a few relatives. But he'd never told another living soul about it until just recently, when he'd let Sofia in on the secret. And why her?

"Why not?" he murmured, closing his eyes. "She's my partner now, after all…" Smiling, he sighed and welcomed sleep with open arms.

And that night, both Cedric and Sofia slept more peacefully than they had in years, dreaming of Mångata and the mysterious yet exciting journey ahead.

If they only knew what awaited them….in The Land Where Dreams Begin.

The end

(Next Series Coming Soon: Mångata! My site is posted on my page if you'd like a little glimpse into the upcoming story. Look for it soon—possibly the end of this week or next. 😉 Hope you enjoyed Beyond Enchancia! ~AquaTurquoise)