Sofia paced the great room, waiting anxiously for an answer. For the last year she had thrown herself completely into her magic studies, practising night and day, all to bring her to this point. The door opened and she turned her head expectantly, only for disappointment to settle in as she spotted the old sorcerer's expression.
"I know this means a great deal to you, and your intentions are quite noble, but time magic is an extremely difficult thing, and we few in the sorcery community who use it guard our secrets very carefully." He hadn't exactly said 'no', yet, but Sofia knew that's where he was heading.
"Please, Merlin, I've worked so hard to get here. I need to do this. For him."
Sofia was not much of a begger. Sure, she would plead and cajole with Cedric in order to get her way, but it was always lightheartedly, and her complicated friendship with her mentor was the exception to a great many rules.
"You're simply not ready, Princess. No one so young as you has ever even attempted these spells." He hung his head, sorry that he had to disappoint the girl this way.
Sofia sighed.
"Thank you for seeing me, Merlin", she mumbled, letting herself out of the sorcerer's home before she had to suffer the embarrassment of crying in front of him.
She hurried down the path before veering off into the woods, running blindly through the trees, finally dropping to the ground and allowing the sobs to wrack her body. She felt like she cried alone amongst the trees for hours, but she doubted it was really that long, before the familiar green cloud of her mentor appeared in front of her. Sofia scrambled to her feet and did her best to collect her emotions as Cedric materialised.
"Sofia?" Cedric asked in astonishment, unnerved to find his apprentice in such a state.
Though she had dried her eyes, they were still red-rimmed and puffy, with streaks cutting through the powder of her cheeks. The skirt she was trying in vain to smooth was filthy, as were her shoes.
"What–" Sofia began, but her voice was a hiccoughed squeak. She took a deep breath and tried again. "What are you doing here?" she asked, genuinely surprised to see him.
"You are extremely late for your lesson", he pointed out.
When she looked down at her feet contritely, he let out a breath and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I was concerned", Cedric added gently, not wanting Sofia to think he'd merely sought her out to scold her.
She blinked up at him tearfully, then wrapped her arms around him. The sorcerer allowed her a minute, then pried himself out of her grip.
"I came to request a favour from Merlin, but he turned me away", Sofia confessed.
Cedric studied her closely, wondering if she would volunteer more information. He frowned slightly when she wasn't forthcoming with the details, but knew her well enough to guess she had her reasons.
"What do you say we take the day off?" Cedric offered, moving his hand to the girl's back and nudging her forward.
Sofia shook her head, not wanting to miss out on her time with the sorcerer.
"I'm alright, and my day is clear. I can–" she began to protest.
"I know a spot near here. We could simply take it easy, maybe have one of those blasted picnics you like so much..." he interrupted her to explain, surprising Sofia with the suggestion.
She grinned, the first time Cedric had seen her look happy since he found her, and he felt muscles relax that he hadn't known were tense.
"That sounds lovely, Mr Cedric", Sofia gratefully agreed.
She took his hand, pleased to find that he accepted instead of shaking out of her grip.
Walking through the woods with the sorcerer, she soon found herself led to a beautiful clearing with a deep stream.
"Would you care to do the honours, Sofia?" Cedric drawled, gesturing towards a spot on the ground.
Sofia took a deep breath and called her wand to her hand, then conjured a large picnic blanket, two plates, and a tea set.
"That will do nicely." Cedric nodded his approval, then used his own magic to make the picnic treats appear, enchanted food still slightly beyond Sofia's level, though she had excelled in her studies lately.
They sat to enjoy lunch together, the meal punctuated with friendly conversation. Cedric magically poured them both a second cup of tea, then leaned back, enjoying the peaceful murmur of the stream. Sofia looked her mentor over as he sat with his eyes partly closed, as relaxed as she'd ever seen him. When her gaze fell to his gloved hands, her curiosity prompted her to disturb the stillness.
"Why do you always wear your gloves?" she questioned, reaching over and gingerly tracing the black fabric with her index finger.
Cedric watched her from the corner of his eye, but made no move to stop her.
"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" he countered.
Sofia giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "I know what they do, not why you believe you need them", she pointed out, retracting her touch to fold her hands in her lap.
Cedric didn't answer right away, instead mulling over how he should respond to that.
"As usual, you think me far more capable than I truly am", he finally settled on.
Sofia shook her head. "I only see the truth. I wish you could see it, too", she stated simply.
Standing and removing her shoes, she walked towards the stream.
"What are you doing?" Cedric enquired, sitting upright again.
"The water is beautiful. I feel like putting my feet in", she answered casually, not seeing the way Cedric shook his head at her.
"Suit yourself", he muttered, leaning back on the blanket and closing his eyes.
Her mischievous giggling should have tipped him off that she was up to no good, but he paid it no mind, and the large magical splash caught him off guard.
"Sofia!" he roared out in surprise, standing to shake himself off.
His apprentice was doubled over in laughter, and he shot her the most reproachful stare he could muster while shrugging off his sopping wet robe.
He muttered something Sofia couldn't make out as he kicked his own shoes off and advanced towards her.
"What was that?" she enquired, straightening up as he stopped in front of her.
"I said 'Can mermaids swim in fresh water?" Cedric repeated clearly.
As Sofia scrambled to think if they could, he lifted her up and dropped her into the stream, smirking as the amulet activated in her defence, emitting a bright pink glow beneath the water.
Sofia's braceleted arm popped up from under the surface, and before Cedric could retreat, she had lassoed him, using the magical rope to drag him into the stream with her.
"No fair using that... that thing on me, Sofia!" Cedric spat out after he stopped floundering.
"And it was fair to throw me in the water? I could have drowned!" she shot back in disbelief, though she wasn't at all angry with him. Meeting his sceptical gaze, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe not drowned... But I really didn't know about freshwater, and..." she continued, stopping when something dawned on her. "How did you know I would turn into a mermaid?" Sofia pressed, eyeing the sorcerer suspiciously.
"I-I saw you do it once." Cedric admitted, guilt causing his cheeks to burn.
Sofia decided against pushing him for more details, choosing to send another splash of water in his direction instead.
"You little..." Cedric began as she giggled and swam off.
He followed after her, sending his own surges of water, though she mostly dove beneath the surface to dodge them.
They spent the afternoon in this fashion until the sun dropped dangerously low in the sky, alerting them that Sofia would be expected home soon.
Climbing out of the stream, Cedric shook out his shaggy hair, then shot a glance at Sofia.
"Turn around, girl. Give me some privacy", he demanded gruffly.
The princess dutifully complied, and he rolled his soaked tunic up, pulling it over his head.
Sofia's gasp alerted him to the fact that she had peeked.
He shot a glare over his shoulder and moved to put the wet garment back on, but she turned again.
He sat down in the grass and spread his top out to dry.
Sofia sat down nearby with her back to him. "I didn't know you had tattoos", she chirped, blushing at the memory of the view she'd managed to steal.
"That's because it's none of your business, Sofia", Cedric spat out sternly, shaking his head as he stared at his apprentice's back.
"I'm sorry", she said quickly, sounding contrite enough for him to let the matter pass.
There was a silence in the clearing as both of them got lost in their thoughts.
"They're binding spells. They serve a similar purpose to the gloves", he finally explained.
When Sofia swivelled her head in astonishment, he narrowed his eyes at her, and she quickly faced forward again.
"It's strange", Sofia murmured.
Cedric gave a 'hmm?' and she continued.
"You crave respect for your magic, yet you go to such lengths to hinder its use", she mused.
Cedric scoffed. "I'm not 'hindering' it, I'm controlling it", he answered, rubbing his hands against his wet trousers in an attempt to warm his legs.
"Do other sorcerers have so much trouble controlling their powers?" Sofia questioned, though Cedric was certain she already knew.
"You're doing it again", he pointed out quietly.
"I suppose I am", she replied simply.
She spun herself around to face him, and Cedric was about to scold her, but the expression on her face gave him pause.
"Did it ever occur to you that they can control their magic easier than you can not because they are better than you, but because they are less powerful?" Sofia demanded, crossing her arms defiantly.
Cedric's mouth opened and closed as he fumbled for a reply. Of course, it hadn't occurred to him. The thought was absurd. Yet here he was, entertaining Sofia's theory.
"Don't be ridiculous. And for the gods' sakes, Sofia, turn around! If the King could see us right now, he'd have my head!"
Sofia rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. "There's nothing ridiculous about it. Greylock, Merlin, Grimtrix..." Her voice wavered on the last name, and she gave a visible shudder.
Cedric frowned and reached out to pat her shoulder, knowing she was still dealing with fears of the sorcerer who had nearly taken over the kingdoms.
She steadied herself, placing her hand over his and hazarding an appreciative glance at him. "Your mom and dad... None of them need gloves and tattoos to contain their power, because unlike you, they're not positively bursting with it", she pressed, outlining her suspicions.
Cedric pulled his hand back and studied his apprentice as he allowed these words to sink in. Running a gloved hand roughly through his two-coloured hair, he gave a groan as his confusion grew. Finally, he decided it was time to change the subject so he wouldn't dwell on the conflicting thoughts any longer.
"What did you ask Merlin for?", he asked Sofia's back.
She sighed and shook her head, drawing her legs up to her chest. "It doesn't matter. He'll never allow it. Maybe he would have in the future, had I not showed my hand today, but there's no helping it now", she grumbled, picking at a patch of grass near her feet.
Cedric pondered her non answer. "If you won't tell me what you were after, then all I can say is that there's more than one way to scale a dragon. I'm sure a persistent girl like you will find a way", he offered.
Sofia swung herself around again and lunged towards him, throwing her arms around his neck despite his stammered protests. "Thank you, Mr Cedric! You're absolutely right!" she managed to exclaim before Cedric shoved her off and retrieved his tunic.
He tugged the damp fabric over his head and stomped off in the direction they'd come from, leaving Sofia to scoop up his forgotten robe and scramble after him.