Downtime
Summary: Cedric and James happen to meet up in the kitchen at the same time and use their downtime to catch up for a while.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show!
A/N: I know it's been a while since James has shown up in one of my stories, so here you go! He's back! :D Enjoy the cute silliness that is the Prince of Enchancia. By the way, I'm still getting used to James calling him "Mr. Cedric" like Sofia does. That was a switch I didn't see coming. Haha! :D
*Story*
"This is brilliant!" James cried with his mouth full as he gobbled up another sugar cookie. "I don't know why you don't let me sample more of these, Chef Andre."
The weary man made a face as he attempted to continue with his preparation for supper for the royals. "Perhaps because I am afraid I will not have any to serve to the guests?" he suggested with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not sure what you mean," the boy responded innocently as his eyes twinkled at the sight of a new plate of sugar cookies. "Ooh!"
"Chef Andre, do you…?" Cedric paused as he entered the kitchen, coming face to face with the two current kitchen occupiers. "Oh, Prince James?"
"Have you come to collect him?" the chef asked hopefully.
The sorcerer blinked at the pleading sound of the other man's voice before smiling apologetically and shrugging. "Actually, I've come to collect you. Baileywick was wondering if you've finished your cookies and if you and Miss Gwen could set up a tray for the evening."
"I would be happy to!" Chef Andre replied just a little too cheerfully as he grabbed up his cookies, including the one James was attempting to grasp. "Thank you, Cedric. I will see you later, Prince James." He hurried out of the kitchen before either remaining two could question his actions.
"What was that all about?" James asked in confusion.
"No idea. What on earth are you doing in here? I thought you and your sisters were on an outing."
The boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Nope. Amber wanted to go shopping, which meant girl time for her and Sofia. Since I'm not a fan of the frilly dresses and oh-so-lovely shoes, I opted out."
Cedric smirked as he walked farther into the kitchen and rummaged through some cabinets. "Your sarcasm is showing, Prince James."
The blonde laughed. "What are you looking for?"
"I could have sworn I saw some biscuits in here earlier… Ah-hah!" He pulled out a tin with a little white bow attached to the top. He then carried it over and set it before James, pulling off the top to reveal some smaller but equally delicious-looking pastries.
"Those aren't biscuits, actually. They're cookies."
"Well, no matter what you call them, they're phenomenal." He picked up one and offered it to the boy. "Here, try one."
James accepted and bit into it, a pleased look crossing his face. "Mm! That's the best cookie I've ever eaten!"
"I should hope so," Cedric agreed as he checked the tag on the side. "They're evidently rather expensive."
The boy grinned. "Hope they don't belong to anyone… Though if Chef Andre comes in and sees us eating these, he might get mad."
"Quite right." Cedric grabbed one for himself before replacing the tin in its proper place. He quickly devoured his treat before looking back toward his current companion. "So are you simply planning to remain here until supper then?"
"What else is there to do? Without Amber and Sofia here, it's kind of boring. I've already walked Rex, done my homework (which surprised me), and played all the single-person games I possibly could. I'm all out of ideas." He sighed dramatically.
The sorcerer considered the prince's words before slowly smiling. "Would you like me to show you how to make fly cakes?"
The blonde's eyes lit up a bit. "Aren't those the little flying cupcakes Sofia's always talking about?"
Cedric pulled out his wand and smirked. "Mm-hmm."
"Sure!" He slipped off of his chair and went over to Cedric. "Just tell me what to do."
A while later, Roland overheard a bout of laughter coming from the kitchen. His curiosity got the better of him, and he left Baileywick and Chef Andre behind so that he could see what was going on. He opened the door to the kitchen and gaped in surprise at the sight.
The kitchen was a mess. There were empty bowls, splotches of sugar and flour, and piles of what he could only assume were magical sprinkles everywhere. He then realized the two in charge of said mess. "Cedric? James?"
Both stopped in their tracks and slowly turned to face the king.
"Your Majesty?" Cedric asked with a small gulp, attempting to brush the flour off his robe and failing.
James grinned. "Hi, Dad!" He, too, was covered in flour, though most had gotten on his face and in his hair somehow.
"What on earth are you two doing?"
"Baking," the boy responded simply with a shrug. "We're kind of bad at it."
"I beg to differ, sire," Cedric corrected with a short laugh. "I'm actually quite good at it. Prince James, on the other hand, is rather good at making a mess."
"Well, I'll agree with that." Roland walked inside and shook his head as he observed the disaster. "Don't let Chef Andre see this. He'll have a fit."
"Not to worry, King Roland. I have a cleaning spell for this!" Cedric grinned as he turned back to the baking cakes. "Besides, we're nearly finished."
"Yeah, Dad," James added. "If you could just stall him for a few more minutes, then we will be all done and have this kitchen looking like new."
"Well, all right… Oh, and Cedric?" He smirked as the sorcerer looked toward him uncertainly. "I want one of those fly cakes when they're finished."
Cedric blinked. "How did you…?"
"Please, your mother made them all the time when your parents lived here. Besides, what other desserts have magical properties to them?" He laughed and left.
James smiled toward the sorcerer. "Seems like you and Dad are getting along better."
"Hmm. I suppose we are." A few minutes later, the fly cakes were finished and Cedric extracted them from the oven with his wand before literally working his magic over them. Before long, twelve perfectly-formed fly cakes were arranged and beginning to hover in the air. He looked toward James. "I'll take care of cleaning the kitchen if you can take these to the dinner table."
The boy blinked and considered the circumstances. "Uh, how? They're kind of…floating?"
Cedric produced a container and used his wand to store them all in temporarily. "Just keep the lid slightly elevated, and you'll have no trouble."
James nodded as Cedric handed him the fly cakes. He then left to take them to the dining room.
The sorcerer heaved an exhausted sigh before raising his wand once again, a general swooping motion literally cleaning every inch of the kitchen and setting things back into their proper place. He then cleaned himself with a general tap of his wand to his head. It was then that he realized he'd forgotten… "Oh, Merlin's Mushrooms!" He took off after the boy, whose flour-based tracks were now all along the floor.
James hummed happily as he placed the fly cakes on the table and then turned to find Baileywick standing behind him…and he looked a little agitated. He grinned. "Hey, Baileywick! What's up?"
The steward gave the boy a pointed look before gesturing toward the flour footprints on the floor. "Care to explain why my clean floor is now dirty again, Prince James?"
"Oh, heh… I forgot! See, Mr. Cedric and I were baking…"
Baileywick sighed. "Say no more." He looked up as Cedric hurried over. "Baking?"
"Oh, come off it, Baileywick," he quipped with a smirk. "I'll clean your precious floor, as well as Prince James here." He used his wand yet again, tapping the boy's head and clearing him of any debris. Then he magically cleaned the floor, the shine returning to it instantly.
The steward smiled in satisfaction. "Well, thanks, Cedric. That's rather useful. In fact, if you're not busy tomorrow—"
"Nice try, Baileywick, but this was a limited-time-only ordeal."
The trio turned as they heard some giggles behind them. Sofia and Amber had arrived, their arms filled with several bags of items each.
"I take it today was productive, girls?" Baileywick asked kindly.
"Very!" Amber squealed. "I took Sofia late-birthday-shopping and got her some awesome things. We also got a head start on Wassailia shopping."
"It's October," James reminded her with a raised eyebrow.
"And? If I see something worthy of someone who is receiving a gift from me, then I'm getting it." His twin smiled cheekily. "And I wouldn't start questioning my tactics right now, James, especially since yours was one of the gifts I got."
"Oh! Well, in that case, buy away." He laughed. He turned back to Cedric as the girls left and Baileywick ambled into another room to find Violet. "Thanks for spending time with me, Mr. Cedric. You're a pretty cool person, you know."
Cedric chuckled and nodded. "The pleasure was mine, Prince James. And I agree. Enjoy your supper." With a smile, he turned and left the dining room.
James grinned and hurried over to the fly cakes, grabbing a few, and then he turned and rushed out of the room, stopping Cedric in his tracks. He passed the treat over to the sorcerer and smiled. "Why don't you eat with us tonight?"
"Well, I…"
"I insist. And I'm sure Sofia and Amber wouldn't object. And neither would Mom or Dad. Besides, you helped make dessert, so they owe you at least some turkey and potatoes. After all, you kept me from boredom for a whole hour!"
Cedric laughed. "Well, I won't object to that… Thank you, Prince James."
The boy grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric."
The end