Sofia the First: Friends of a Feather

Roderick Returns

The next day, the coaches were flying just above the Enchanted Animal Park. Hugo and Axel were a little nervous about their next encounter with Roderick.

"I hope we have more luck with Roderick than Hildegard," Hugo sighed.

"I'll be here for you, baby bro," Axel smiled.

Once all the coaches have landed, Sofia met up with Hugo and Axel, and they were all wondering where Roderick was.

"There are so many students here, I can't see Roderick," Sofia declared.

"And I don't even know what his brother looks like," Hugo said. "Does he look anything like Roderick?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from behind the trio, saying, "The answer is right here."

Sofia, Hugo, and Axel turned and saw Roderick with his younger brother. Hugo wasn't sure if he was happy to see Roderick, but Axel was pretty suspicious.

"Hey, Roderick," Axel said flatly.

"Hello, Axel," Roderick waved. He saw Sofia and Hugo and happily said, "Sofia! Hugo! Long time no see!"

"Hi, Roderick," Hugo sighed.

Roderick turned to his younger brother and said, "Caleb, you already met Axel. This is his little brother Hugo, and that's his girlfriend Sofia from Enchancia."

"Hello," Caleb waved.

"Hi," Sofia waved.

"Good to meet you," Hugo chimed in.

Roderick could tell that Hugo was suspicious of him, and the former knew why. "You're still mad at me from the time we saw each other, right?" he surmised. "I can't say I blame you. I was being selfish when I played that trick on you—but that was before I knew how much you and Axel mean to each other."

"Really?" Hugo asked, still suspicious.

"What made you finally realize that?" Axel asked.

Roderick breathed in and confessed, "It happened a month after we had that fight. I was really sick—I needed a kidney transplant."

Those words surprised Sofia, Hugo, and Axel very much.

"You did?" Axel asked.

"Yeah, I couldn't find a compatible donor, and I almost died," Roderick revealed.

"That's terrible," Sofia frowned.

"I know—I was so anxious for the doctors to save him that I decided to give him one of mine," Caleb revealed.

"You gave Roderick one of your kidneys?" Hugo asked.

"He sure did, and that made me realize how much I mean to him," Roderick claimed. "Had Caleb never given me his kidney, he'd be an only child now."

Those words touched Hugo and Axel, who felt sorry for Roderick. Hugo realized that had Roderick lost his life, the former would've regretted not giving him a second chance.

"It may be too late for this, Hugo, but I'm so sorry I played that prank on you," Roderick apologized.

Without a second thought, Hugo said, "You know, Roderick, it's not too late—you deserve a second chance."

"Thanks," Roderick smiled.

Axel smiled, happy that Hugo and Roderick have already reconciled. It was a perfect time to do so because the royals were not entering the Enchanted Animal Park.

"Where are the Enchanted Animals?" Hildegard asked impatiently.

"I'm sure we'll see some animals soon, Hildy," Clio told her.

"I want to see them now," Hildegard demanded.

"Enough already, Hildegard," Amber snapped. "You already got us chased by a herd of angry Pelicants because you had to have their egg, and you're not going to do anything like that again!"

"Yes, Amber," Hildegard gulped.

Sofia, Hugo, Axel, Roderick, and Caleb were nearby, and they had heard the trio's conversation.

"Did that really happen?" Roderick asked.

"That happened during a Dads and Daughters field trip to this park," Sofia whispered.

"Every time Hildegard saw anything good in this park, she told her father that she wanted it. Miss Elodie kept telling them to leave the animals alone. But when Hildegard demanded a Pelicants' egg, she and her father ignored her, and King Henrik got the egg for his daughter only for the angry Pelicants to chase the whole group into a hollow tree."

"Sadly, that wasn't enough for Hildegard to learn that she can't get everything she wants," Hugo frowned.

"What a spoiled brat," Caleb snorted.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Caleb," Hugo smirked. Suddenly, something caught his eye. "Wow, look at that."

Everyone saw a creature with wings of a dragon and a mane of a lion.

"That's a Draglion—it's part dragon and part lion," Roderick smiled.

"Brilliant," James grinned.