For being similar to Sofia in height, if older, James was not as easy a rider as the youngest princess, Minimus found. "He...wiggles around like a...grasshopper!", the flying horse complained to only Sofia, since only she could hear him.

Carlos had been given the loan of another horse from the stables, and had taken a good while going over it to make sure he wasn't given a bad one on purpose and to make him lose.

"Oh for goodness sake!", Amber huffed, watching the boy, "we aren't cheats".

The young royal from Paraíso stood up from having inspected the saddle and grinned at her, "Well of course not, I would never accuse you of it, fair princess, but your brother may have still done something to...tip the odds".

"Mount or give up!", James turned Minimus towards them, to protest from the horse once more on his handling. Sofia tried to curb her smile. "Minimus, behave...", she whispered.

"Alright, alright", Carlos did such with surprising skill. "Alright, Prince James, it's your home track, so where are we racing too? And make sure I can see where it is".

"You can, that tower right there!", James pointed, "Up, through the bell tower like we do on practice runs for the Derby, and then back down here. First one who lands again wins!", he gripped Minimus's reigns, a bit too tightly, the horse sputtering muffled words. James of course could ride well, but wasn't adjusting well to the smaller horse. Sofia gave her horse a look of pity.

"Ready, set, go", Amber just said it casually and dropped the starter hankie casually, not caring about the boy's petty little race too much. Both flying horses shot up, the girls craning to watch after their progress. At first Minimus and Carlos' horse were neck and neck, then the smaller pony started to lag a bit, just getting used to carrying James.

"Go Minimus! Go!", Sofia called, just encouragingly.

"Oh, I don't think he'll make it...", Isabel commented worriedly.

Up in the air, Carlos grinned as he saw his chance and spurred his horse on just to make sure, "Ha! Too easy!".

"Come on Minimus! You don't want the kid that called you a baby to win do you?!", James insisted, lightly kicking again, and without knowing it did the trick. "No I don't!", the horse said, in what James only heard as a whinny. The horse shot up, past Carlos.

"Whoo! Go James!". Amber called. Isabel and Sofia knew they shouldn't take sides (well it was alright for Sofia also maybe), but clapped.

"Hey!", Carlos called, "No fair! I don't know what you did, but it was cheating!", he kicked his poor horse to go faster. James frowned down at him as he caught up. Especially as he reached a hand out as if to grab James' reign and hold him in or pull him back!

"Hey! Now who's cheating?! Get off!", James swat his hand at the other boy. Minimus veered, kicking his legs and doing all he could to regain his balance and keep James right through all this jerking about.

***

"And so, Princess Valentina and I signed the treaty and...well have been friends ever since", Elena told a true catching up of events and history of Avalor and Paraíso, while skipping over some of the more embarrassing parts of their rivalry. She then smiled to her friend, but noticed Val seemed distracted.

"Val...are...are you ok?", Elena next asked, watching the other princess with her head in her hands and pushing food about her plate. She hadn't meant it to be noticeable though! Oh! What a way to act! And when she had to set a good example for her friend as said!

"Oh, yes, sorry King Roland", Valentina sat up straight again, smiling to the king and queen, and Elena, "I-I'm just worried about Carlos...".

"Don't you worry, Princess Valentina, our guards are very skilled, nothing will happen to your cousin", Roland assured with a kind smile.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that!", Val assured, "I--I'm, worried about him!".

"The...princess' young cousin has a bit of a pride problem", Manuel explained from where he, Gabe and Cid sat, invited to the table of course, but keeping to their place and out of the royal's way.

"Well, James and the girls are very mature, I don't foresee any problems", Miranda said.

***

"Get off!"

"You get off!"

The boys were far too close for a close quarters race now, Carlos kicking out with his foot as if to kick James aside, and getting it caught in the other's reigns.

"Oh, don't do that!", Minimus pulled back harder.

Down on the ground, Sofia, Amber and Isabel gasped.

James tried to nudge (half shove) the boy out, "Get of my horse! Well my sister's horse"

"You did it!"

The reign snapped, and the two horses flew apart at odd angles, James now unable to control, though Minimus knew how to get them back down, or would once he found his bearings. He tumbled into a hay-bale before that. Carlos' horse faltering and then landing safely, but without him.

"James!", Amber and Sofia rushed up to the hay-bale to check on their brother, and not that they weren't concerned about Carlos, but checked James first. Isabel glanced about for the other boy and finally found him. "Oh...", she pointed, and everyone else looked, to where he was at the tower, but suspended by something. It was hard to tell, probably his tunic caught on something up by the bell, and his feet kicking uselessly. He yelled something, but no one caught it.

Stepping out of the hay, James pulled straw from his hair and laughed.

Minimus snorted and then full out horse laughed also! Even the other horse looked mildly amused, though it hadn't been on purpose.

Sofia frowned worried, "I'll go get dad!", she turned back for the castle, Amber and Isabel following.