This is the sequel from my short drabble "Then, what am I?" It was supposed to be a short fic as well, but became something else. If you please to go to youtube and look for the song "kiss from a rose" by Seal, I believe the reading would be a lot better.
As always, sorry for the grammar, English is not my first language.
Sofia was swinging in the playground. The sun was already hiding in the dusk, her friends had gone home and the park was empty except for her.
The proper thing to do was to rise and get on the carriage to go back to the Castle at time for dinner, but she didn't want anyone to see her frown, so she was trying to get rid of it before go back.
Not so far behind her, a man was watching her with his heart deeply wounded, hitting his forehead time to time with the tree he was using to hide his presence.
What could he do? What could he have done? To tell her the truth?
"What am I?"
No, he couldn't. He couldn't. He wanted to, but he couldn't.
"You are like a normal person, but shorter."
His answer wasn't exactly the best, certainly, but was better than the truth.
If she knew the truth… No. It couldn't be.
Music started to sound from the plaza near there. It was almost twilight, the night-time activities were about to start and he would be dead man if he took much more time to get Sofia back to the Castle.
Cedric sighed and went towards the swing.
―Ehm… Princess…―he stammered. Sofia stop from swinging, but she didn't turn to look at him.―It's late.
She nodded, her look still on the ground, and rose to go to where the carriage was parked.
Once inside, she still didn't speak to him and Cedric felt himself dying slowly at every second.
Passing though the plaza, the music sounded louder. It was a nice wind and stringed music, sweet and pleasant. If they would be in a better mood, surely they would be enjoying the sound, but now it only made their silence worse. At that thought the sorcerer felt so bad that had to took a hand to his mouth and turn his face to hide how his lips curled in a grimace that preceding his tears.
He couldn't let her seeing him like this… A grown man, a man that she considered her mentor, crying so easily…? It was too pathetic. That situation was pathetic. He was pathetic. And his feelings were… they were… which on was the less pejorative word to say "extremely inconvenient"?
Then, in his brain, the melody was taking a familiar form. He knew that song, he had heard it before. And he knew the lyrics.
Before he realized what he was doing, he rose from his seat and shouted to the coachman at the top of his lungs.
―STOP THE COACH!
Suddenly the carriage stopped and the surprised and confused princess didn't have time to ask before been pulled out from her seat and taken by the hand to the source of the music, practically dragged between the crowd.
Standing in front row, Cedric put her before him, his hands on her shoulders.
―Mister Cedric, what are you doing?―she asked.
He just put a hand on her mouth to hush her and remained awaiting for the artist who was about to sing the song.
"There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea
You became the light on the dark side of me
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?"
Sofia turned her head and raised her face to see him with wide eyes. He just dedicated the child a brief shy glance with blushed cheeks and then his eyes were immediately back on the stage.
"Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey"
The nice soft music retuned to sound between verses and the princess turned again to her sorcerer with a radiant smile and a look of complicity.
He gave her back a puzzled look with raised eyebrows like he was saying "don't know what you mean", but his farce couldn't continue for much longer for a naughty smile overtook the man's lips.
"There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say
You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain!"
Sofia felt the soft tickle of Cedric's thumb slipping through her nape to the back of her neck, following delicately the path her spine marked.
"Baby, to me, you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny"
The princess exhaled a sigh closing her eyes, enjoying the contact of his fingers caressing the bare skin of the back.
"Won't you tell me, is that healthy, baby?"
Looking at her sorcerer again, she realized he was already staring at her with serious and sincere eyes. All his heart was in those words that he wouldn't slip from his lips, but that now she could hear perfectly clear.
"But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?"
Cedric returned his eyes to the stage again. And then she realized what that shy gesture meant. It was like with his stoic demeanour he were saying "take those words as you please". He was giving her the freedom of ignoring the message completely, if that were what she wanted to do, and at the same time he was assuring himself a convenient way out if she could feel offended somehow.
It was an undercover confession.
"Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey"
Looking around, Sofia saw many people had started to form pairs and dance that romantic tune on the plaza. Smiling, she took Cedric by the hands and dragged him to an open place to start to dance.
Cedric obeyed, but he kept tense and insecure, glimpsing around him apprehensively, looking out for someone staring at them.
"I've been kissed by a rose on the grey
I've been kissed by a rose on the grey
And if I should fall, will it all go away?
I've been kissed by a rose on the grey"
His princess remained happy and beaming, moving her feet at the rhythm, and he wouldn't like nothing more than to enjoy that prefect magical moment with her without the fears that consumed him made him stop. But that would be impossible. Impossible. As his love for her. Forbidden and distant.
He was about to free himself of her grip and go back to the carriage in a anxiety attack when he heard an old lady in the spectators ring speaking.
―Oh, look at the little princess. Aren't they adorable, dear?―she commented to her husband.
Adorable. Of all the words to describe someone like him dancing with Sofia. Adorable. "Oh, if you just knew…" the sorcerer thought with disdain.
Cedric couldn't avoid the ironic snickering laugh that came from his mouth, intriguing the princess. Smirking with renew spirit, the sorcerer went closer to her and lead her at the beat of the music, showing some graceful dance moves better than the rest and making his little partner guffaw.
"There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say
You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain!"
He made her spin and then pulled her close to him all at once.
"To me, you're like a growing, addiction that I can't deny
Won't you tell me, is that healthy, baby?"
Cedric made her turn over before him without let loose her hands, enclosing her with his arms. If there wasn't so much height difference, right now he could be breathing from her neck, but he had to content with pressing slightly his virility against her back.
"But did you know that when it snows"
He unrolled her with fluency and made her move away a few steps before draw her to him.
"My eyes become large, and the light that you shine can be seen?"
Sofia grinned delighted and suddenly freed his hands and threw herself to his waist, hugging him tight. Cedric remained stupefied for a moment.
"Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey"
And at the next he was returning the hug with all the feeling she was putting on it, or more.
"Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah"
Even if he could only squeeze her face against his abdomen, even if he couldn't bury his nose in her hair or whisper love words to her ear, she would understand.
Even if he couldn't kiss her rose lips and devour her mouth. Even if he couldn't caress her sides and pass his hands on ripen breasts and fully developed hips, she would understand.
Even if he couldn't bury himself inside her and die from pleasure in her interior, she would understand.
She would understand the love he professed to her. Pure, bare, sincere. And for her, all for her. To the end of his days.
"Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey"
She looked at him from bellow. Her blue eyes really hit the gloom in him and her smile was so sweet that he thought that he could taste her in his own mouth just from contemplate at it. He put a hand over her head and pet her, interlacing his fingers with her hair.
Then he put a knee on the ground to be at her height and spoke to her in a whisper.
―You truly are short.
She let out a giggle at that.
―I'm sorry―she said shrugging.
―Me too, believe me.―he assured, smiling.
"Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey"
The sorcerer stood and offered his hand to her.
―Time to go back home.
She nodded, took his hand in hers and they both walked towards the carriage, illuminated with the light of the festive lanterns.
"Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey"
Sofia's rose wasn't exactly in bloom yet, but Cedric was so dazzled for the light the child irradiated that, for him, hers was the most beautiful rose in the entire world.
And its kiss shall be his.