Enchanted Tide

Chapter 1

Sofia's POV

There were exactly three things I had learned since finishing school.
One: having no lessons sounded much more exciting when I still had lessons.
Two: Amber could somehow turn breakfast into a formal event.
And three: apparently, when you turned twenty-one, everyone suddenly became very interested in what you planned to do with the rest of your life.
"So?" Amber asked.
I looked up from my plate.
"So... what?"
She stared at me from across the breakfast table.
Amber hadn't changed much.
Well, that wasn't completely true. We had all changed. She was twenty-three now, and somehow she'd managed to become even more elegant than she had been when we were younger. Her blonde hair was perfectly done, her dress didn't have a single wrinkle, and she was sitting so straight that looking at her made my back hurt.
But that look?
That was the same.
"You weren't listening."
"I was."
"What did I say?"
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
James snorted beside her.
Amber slowly raised an eyebrow.
"I was listening," I insisted. "Just... not to that particular part."
"That's called not listening, Sofia."
"Thank you, Amber."
"You're welcome."
James reached across the table and stole a strawberry from Amber's plate.
She slapped his hand.
"Ow!"
"You have your own."
"Yours looked better."
"They're from the same bowl!"
I smiled despite myself.
Some things really didn't change.
At the other end of the table, Mom was trying not to laugh while Dad pretended he hadn't noticed any of it.
Breakfast at the castle had become quieter over the years.
When we were children, there were tutors waiting for us, lessons to complain about, events we were late for, and usually some sort of magical disaster I was desperately trying to hide.
Now Amber had royal duties of her own. James spent half his time training with the royal guard or disappearing somewhere on horseback. Mom and Dad were constantly attending meetings.
And me?
I looked down at the purple amulet resting against my dress.
Well.
I was still figuring that part out.
"Sofia."
I looked up.
Mom was watching me.
"Sorry."
"You've been somewhere else all morning."
"I'm right here."
James leaned toward me. "Physically."
I kicked him under the table.
"Ow!"
Mom gave us both the look.
I immediately sat straighter.
Twenty-one years old, and that still worked.
"I've just been thinking," I said.
Amber took a sip of tea. "Dangerous."
"You're very funny today."
"I know."
Dad folded the letter he'd been reading.
"Thinking about anything in particular?"
There it was.
The question.
Not exactly What are you going to do with your life, Sofia?
But close enough.
I touched the Amulet without thinking.
"I don't know yet."
And I hated how strange those words felt.
I had spent most of my life knowing what I was supposed to do.
Help someone.
Fix something.
Learn something.
Become a better princess.
There had always been another lesson waiting.
Another adventure.
Another problem.
But nobody ever told you what happened when the lessons ended.
Dad smiled.
"There's nothing wrong with not knowing."
"Tell that to everyone who keeps asking me."
James pointed his fork at me. "You could join the guard."
Amber nearly choked on her tea.
I frowned. "Why is that funny?"
"You?"
"Yes, me."
"With a sword?"
"I've held a sword before."
James grinned. "Holding it isn't usually the difficult part."
I threw a napkin at him.
He caught it.
Of course he did.
Mom laughed. "I think Sofia will find her own way."
My fingers tightened slightly around the Amulet.
My own way.
I liked the sound of that.
I just wished I knew what it was.

───
Later that afternoon, I had exactly one goal.
Get to the library.
It should've been simple.
The castle library was approximately four hallways and one staircase away from my room.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten to account for Clover.
"Sofia!"
I stopped.
Slowly, I turned around.
Nothing.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Clover?"
Silence.
Then I heard something moving behind one of the curtains.
I walked over and pulled it aside.
Clover was sitting there.
With a half-eaten pastry between his paws.
I stared at him.
He stared at me.
I looked at the pastry.
He looked at the pastry.
Then back at me.
"...Where did you get that?"
"Before you get mad-"
"Clover."
"-I think we should focus on the important thing here."
"Which is?"
He took another bite.
"It's delicious."
I put my hands on my hips.
"Clover!"
"What?! I'm a rabbit! I have needs!"
"Carrots are needs. Stealing pastries from the kitchen is not a need."
"That's a matter of opinion."
I tried to look annoyed.
I really did.
But Clover had been getting me into conversations like this since I was eight years old.
And somehow, thirteen years later, he was still winning them.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"The library."
Clover's ears dropped.
"Oh."
I started walking.
He hopped after me.
"Again?"
"Yes, again."
"Sofia, you've been in there every day this week."
"That's not true."
"It is."
"No, it isn't."
"You were there yesterday."
"Yes."
"And the day before."
"...Maybe."
"And the day before that."
I stopped.
Clover stopped beside me.
"Whose side are you on?"
"Usually whoever has food."
"Clover."
"Yours. Obviously yours."
We continued down the hallway.
"You know," he said, "when you finished school, I thought we'd have more free time."
"We?"
"Yes, we. Your education was extremely difficult for me."
"You slept through most of it."
"Exactly. Do you know how exhausting that was?"
I laughed.
There were things about growing up that felt strange.
The castle felt different.
Our schedules were different.
Amber and James had their own responsibilities now. Friends who had once been around constantly had lives of their own.
But Clover?
Clover was still Clover.
And I was secretly grateful for that.
We reached the library doors.
I pushed one open.
Clover looked at the mountain of books already waiting on the table.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You've made a pile."
"It's organized."
"It's taller than me."
"Most things are taller than you."
"Unnecessary."
I smiled and walked inside.
A couple of familiar little heads appeared from behind one of the lower bookshelves.
"There she is!"
I stopped.
"Mia?"
The bluebird fluttered toward me, Robin following close behind.
Clover groaned.
"Great. Now there's more of us."
Mia landed near my books.
"What are you doing?"
"Research."
Robin landed beside her.
"About what?"
I sat down and lifted the Amulet from my chest.
"This."
Clover hopped onto the chair beside me.
"The necklace."
"The Amulet of Avalor."
"The necklace."
I gave him a look.
He took another bite of his pastry.
Mia tilted her head.
"But you've had that forever."
"Exactly."
I opened my notebook.
At the top of the page I'd written:
THE AMULET OF AVALOR
Underneath:
Known abilities.
I hesitated.
Then added:
...and unknown abilities.
Robin hopped closer.
"What don't you know?"
I looked down at the purple jewel.
"A lot, apparently."
I began arranging the books around me.
"It lets me understand you."
Clover swallowed.
"Best power."
"It can summon other princesses. It's given me blessings. It's given me curses. Elena was trapped inside it for years. It's protected me, changed me..."
I trailed off.
Mia looked at me.
"And?"
"And I don't know why."
Clover blinked.
"Because it's magic?"
I stared at him.
He shrugged.
"Seems like a pretty good explanation."
"It was when I was younger."
I leaned back in my chair.
"When something happened, I just... accepted it. The Amulet would glow, something magical would happen, and eventually I'd understand what it wanted me to learn."
Robin fluttered onto the table.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing."
I ran my thumb across the jewel.
"But I'm twenty-one now."
Clover looked confused.
"Congratulations?"
I laughed.
"What I mean is... I don't want to spend the rest of my life waiting for this thing to decide when I get to understand it."
The animals became quiet.
I looked down at my notebook.
"I want to know what it can actually do."
Mia's eyes brightened.
"So you're going to learn how to control it?"
I hesitated.
"Not control."
That didn't feel right.
The Amulet had never really belonged to me in that way.
"Understand."
I smiled slightly.
"I want to understand it."
Clover climbed onto the table and looked down at one of the enormous books.
"Okay."
I looked at him.
"Okay?"
"Yep."
He pushed the book open with both paws.
Or tried to.
It didn't move.
He pushed harder.
Nothing.
Robin and Mia watched.
Clover stopped.
"...Sofia?"
"Yes?"
"Understanding magic requires thumbs."
I laughed and opened the book for him.
"Better?"
"Much."
I picked up my quill.
Clover settled beside the pages. Mia and Robin perched nearby.
And just like that, my very serious investigation into one of the most powerful magical objects I'd ever encountered had acquired three completely unqualified research assistants.
Honestly?
I'd worked with worse.