Memories at Midnight
Summary: On a random camping trip with the Enchancian children and Baileywick, Cedric finds Amber distancing herself from her siblings and is curious as to why.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First!
A/N: Yep! Time to send my favorite quintet off on another adventure, and per a request I had some time ago, here's a bit more bonding time with Amber and Cedric. ;) Enjoy!
*Story*
It was a calm, warm night in the mountains of Enchancia. The royal children had somehow talked Cedric and Baileywick into taking them camping, with the approval of their parents, of course. Surprisingly enough, they hadn't been met with predicted hesitation. Both seemed willing to leave the daily duties of the castle and accompany the siblings on this trip, and since it was only overnight, they didn't see the harm in it.
Naturally, the camping trip wasn't too typical, since Cedric had used his magic to set up a rather intricate set of tents for the lot of them. Each camper had his or her own tent, complete with all daily necessities. Amber was thrilled; James and Sofia were happy but said they could have camped in the normal fashion if necessary; Baileywick was grateful for a sturdier and cleaner tent; and Cedric, well…his philosophy was since he had access to the magic, he might as well use it to make things more comfortable for all parties involved.
Currently, the five friends were seated around the campfire.
"All right, who's ready for s'mores?" James asked excitedly as he withdrew some chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers from a bag that Chef Andre had prepared for him.
"Ooh, me!" Sofia chirped as she grabbed one of the longer sticks settled next to her and took one of the marshmallows from her brother. "Baileywick, would you like one?"
"I'd be delighted, Princess Sofia," the steward responded cheerfully as he was also passed his necessary items.
"Amber? Mr. Cedric?"
"I think I'll pass," Cedric yawned with a shake of his head. "I've never been a fan of the sticky treats."
The blonde girl shrugged. "I'm not really hungry. Thanks, Sofia."
"Can I have her share?" James whispered dramatically as Sofia giggled.
"Sure."
Amber glanced up at the starry sky and leaned back against the tree behind her. It was so calm and quiet up here, compared to the everyday hustle and bustle of the castle. Granted, she enjoyed being caught up in the predictable atmosphere, but every now and then she welcomed a break from it. Experience with the Buttercups made her appreciate things like this more. Despite that, though, she still realized the difference between appreciating breaks like this and relishing completely in them…like her siblings seemed to be doing.
"We should tell ghost stories," the prince suggested with a grin. "Desmond thinks there's a ghost living under his bed."
"Why?" Sofia asked with raised eyebrows.
"Because every morning he wakes up, his shoes have gone missing—and he always puts them in the same spot by the foot of his bed." He shrugged. "I told him it was probably just muscular rats stealing them for laughs now, and he didn't seem to find that too funny." He grinned.
"I would imagine not," Baileywick declared. "The very idea of rats infiltrating that poor boy's room to steal his shoes."
"I think you missed the point, Baileywick," Cedric snickered.
While they continued talking, Amber quietly slipped away and walked a bit farther into the forest where they were camping. She enjoyed being with them and having fun, but she really felt the need to just be alone for a while. After all, it was a stargazer's dream come true: being up here on the mountains with the vast expanse of the galaxies displayed before her very eyes. How could she pass that up?
She reached a cliff that hung over a steep slope, and she noticed that to her left at a distance were several waterfalls that seemed to cascade into nothingness. It was beautiful. She sat down at the edge and allowed her feet to dangle over. Normally, she wouldn't be this close to a precipice, but she kept her focus on the majesty of the view nature had provided her. Her gaze turned to the stars again, and she smiled as they twinkled in almost a knowing way.
Why did she always feel as though the vast expanse of space held so many secrets and answers to questions that hadn't yet been asked? What was out there? Was there someone else on the other side looking at the same stars she was observing right this second? Space was fascinating to her. On the other hand, she felt it could be quite lonely as well. If one spent too much time looking for something that doesn't even exist, or if one became lost in his or her own thoughts while staring at the twinkling dots of light, sometimes an overwhelming sense of isolation may flood the stargazer. She'd felt it before. Yet this time, she'd willingly separated herself from her siblings and friends…so did it count?
"Princess Amber?"
Amber gasped softly as she heard her name and turned, seeing Cedric carefully edging toward her. "Cedric?"
"What on earth are you doing over here…and so close to the edge?" He frowned in concern. "No offense, Princess, but if you fall, I am not going after you. So perhaps you should carefully move away from, as Sofia once called it during another adventure we had, 'the precipice of doom.'"
The blonde laughed and scooted away from the edge of the cliff in order to calm the sorcerer. "Sorry. I was just watching the stars." She smiled as he sat down next to her, and her attention was momentarily altered when she noticed a bunch of fireflies come into their view. They hovered around the colorful flowers before swirling around the swaying grass. "It's late, isn't it?"
Cedric shrugged. "Somewhat… It's midnight. Yet no one has gone to sleep just yet. Even Baileywick, which is surprising…" He chuckled softly as one of the fireflies landed on his glove. "You know, I remember chasing after many of these when I was younger. My sister liked to trap them in glass jars, but I'd always release them."
"Why?"
"You can't keep them bottled up. They'll lose their shine." He watched as the little bug flew off before glancing at her. "It's never a good idea to hold onto something that was never meant to be captured in the first place."
"Hmm." She smiled thoughtfully before gazing back at the sky. "I kind of feel that way about the stars. They're beautiful, but I would never want to be in possession of them." She smirked before he could respond. "Not that I could, considering how dangerous that could be…not to mention impossible…but I think you know what I'm getting at."
"Oh, yes. I understand completely." He shifted as he finally decided to ask the question he needed to know the answer to. "So you've separated yourself from us because…you wanted to get some time to yourself, I'm guessing?"
"At least you understand. Everyone else around me seems to think people should always be around other people. Like we're going to get lonely if we spend just a few minutes to ourselves? That's silly." She laughed softly. "Besides, being out here away from the normal routines and everything, I'm able to just revisit my memories."
"Mind if I ask what those entail?" He wasn't sure why he wanted to know, but he did have a feeling he'd be able to anticipate her answer.
"Well, I think about my mother, of course, but there are so many other memories I also have." She gestured toward the stars. "When James and I were four years old, Daddy took us to see some shooting stars one night. They were amazing. James even tried to use his butterfly net to capture one."
Cedric laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"
She grinned. "I love my brother, but sometimes I wonder about him. Anyway, we also used to have picnics around here, actually. One time it was even in this very spot. Mommy would bring cookies and little cakes, and James would always eat too many and come down with a case of stomach aches." She shook her head.
The sorcerer hadn't expected the young girl to just share so much with him, but he wasn't complaining. It was a nice change from her tense moods. Granted, she'd gotten better, so he couldn't fault her for that. "And simply observing the stars brings back all those memories, hmm?"
"I came to the conclusion a while ago that stars have memories, Cedric. Or I guess I should say that looking at them brings back memories…at least for me. They're beautiful and mysterious, but they're a physical representation of the millions of things we see and remember." She sighed. "Maybe it's late, and maybe I'm rambling at this point, but hopefully that makes sense."
Cedric nodded. Who was this girl, and why was she being so philosophical all of a sudden? Amber had certainly matured over the years, and he hardly recognized the bossy and standoffish princess she used to be. However, that was a good thing. They'd all made changes at this point, so why shouldn't she? "So it's safe to say that the stars are important to you?"
Amber smiled thoughtfully as she looked upward again. "Very."
He hummed thoughtfully before using his wand and murmuring something under his breath. In a matter of moments, a small globe dropped into Amber's lap, making her gasp in surprise.
She picked it up and looked inside the darkened orb, seeing what appeared to be a replica of the night sky with stars twinkling. She smiled when she also saw a mimic of fireflies floating around, their little lights blinking. She turned to the sorcerer with a wider smile. "You're a pretty awesome person, Cedric. I really underestimated you."
"I appreciate it,, Princess Amber. I figured if you're not always able to see the stars out here, then they could come to you in some way."
Amber giggled. "Well, thank you… It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."
He nodded. "My pleasure, Princess."
The stargazed for a little longer, conversing casually with each other, before retiring for the evening under the ever present blanket of the night sky.
The end