The sound of little bare feet running up the flight of stone stairs were drowned out occasionally by a rumble of thunder. Sofia wasn't the type to be weary of thunderstorms, but the atmosphere they provided made waking from a nightmare didn't help the young princess. Any normal child would have run to her parents' room first, or maybe her siblings, but wanting the assurance of no more bad dreams, seeing the royal sorcerer made the most sense. She only hoped she could awaken Mr. Cedric this late in the night for a spell.

Her knocking attempts to his workshop door appeared to be in vain. She thought his personal chambers were connected to the room, but perhaps she was wrong. She was about to give up and slowly pad down the stairs, when she heard movement and grumbling within, followed by the unlocking of the workshop door. Cedric looked none too happy to be awakened, not that his resting facial expression was very cheery to begin with, but he looked particularly gruff with his bedhead and sleepwear. Still, he was awake now and rubbing sleep from his eyes as he looked down at her. "Princess, it's 3 AM..."

"I know. I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "But I had a really, really bad dream and I want a spell to make sure I don't dream it again... e-even if it's just for tonight."

Cedric gave pause, wondering why a magical solution was the first on her mind. Her parents, her siblings, hell, even Baileywick or one of the maids would be far better at comforting her after an ordeal within her subconscious. He wondered if he'd given the girl too much cause to rely on him for such things, not that his ego wasn't grateful for the child's belief in him, but 3 AM calls were a bit much. He had to draw the line somewhere, but he could tell she was shaken as she stood at the doorway, her fingers fidgeting with her amulet as she awaited an answer. "You wouldn't want me attempting anything when I'm still half asleep, I'd be sure to make it worse..."

"Please...?" She glanced up at him with those big blue eyes, pleading.

Damn it. He was an evil sorcerer. A little girl pleading for help should have been easy to turn away, but he couldn't. Not with her. "Oh alright. I'm up anyway... Come on in and I'll make us some cocoa."

A small smile briefly curled onto her face as she went inside, followed by a yawning Cedric as he directed her to his living quarters via access on the other side of the tower room. She sat in a large arm chair opposite a small kitchenette area where he began preparing the kettle.

"So what sort of dream has the power to scare the likes of you?" He asked, curious for a number of reasons, one being the information might be beneficial to his dark intentions.

"I was all alone... in trouble, but I couldn't tell from what... my amulet wasn't working and no one else was there to help... I-I know I can do a great deal on my own, but this time... I couldn't... I was overwhelmed by some black monster that threatened to swallow me whole, but thankfully I woke up before that happened..." She explained as she peered over the arm of the chair toward him.

"That does sound scary," he agreed, internally disappointed it wasn't something easier to comprehend like spiders or snakes. Having her powerless in total isolation was an impossibility for such a beloved princess. He'd have to become extremely powerful to do such a thing, and even then, he wasn't sure he'd want to make her feel that way. That was the problem with his plans lately, they'd surely have an adverse effect on their friendship.

"D-Do you have dreams like that too, Mr. Cedric?" She asked him.

"Sometimes," he freely admitted. "Although the black monster usually ends up being my father's shadow."

"Oh..." She said quietly. Adult's dreams were on a deeper level, making growing up an all the more frightening concept.

He finished concocting the beverage and approached the chair with two cups in his hands and after handing Sofia hers, drew his wand out from his sleeve to expand the piece of furniture long enough for the two of them to sit on it as he didn't have any other seating available given his usual lack of visitors.

"Is it worse being an adult?" She asked, looking for some hope in the matter as she turned the cup of cocoa in her hands, warming them.

"I wouldn't say it's any worse, but it's not certainly not any easier. I'm grateful I get to live on my own and do a job I love, despite the fact you're the only one who thinks me competent enough. However, I'm sure it varies from person to person, Princess Sofia so you ought not fret so much about it. You'll have struggles different from most, but I have no doubts whatever they are, you'll meet them head-on and overcome them. That's who you are. You're probably more prepared to be an adult than Prince James or Princess Amber, given your humble upbringing. You understand people and the world a bit better than the other royals do."

"You think so?"

"I know so," he said confidently, taking a small sip from his own cup. "Which is why it baffles me that a mere nightmare would rustle you so. You've faced far scarier situations in real life than you have in your dreams."

"I know... but this was... different."

It did sound like this nightmare was of a more complex nature, so perhaps continued talk of it wasn't going to help resolve the girl's concerns. He gave her head a pat, the only comfort he felt appropriate giving the girl, but it seemed to be enough to help placate her, along with the cocoa.

"...You're not going to give me a spell, are you?" Sofia asked.

"I'm not. Certain things you simply ought to deal with, but should they become recurrent and troublesome, then my intervention may be necessary."

"Okay..." She said understandingly. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric."

"I didn't do anything," he reminded her.

"Maybe not with magic, but you made me cocoa and talked with me. That's something."

"I can't guarantee it'll help," he told her, feeling any advice he offered, magical or otherwise, ought to come with that stipulation.

"You're really nice..." She smiled before releasing a small yawn and resting her head against the arm of the chair.

Cedric heaved a sigh, expecting as much from the likes of her. Still, if she was at last comfortable enough to sleep, there was no sense in moving her. He conjured up a proper pillow and blanket for her, tucking her in like he did with his niece and wishing her a good night.

Author's Note: This is the first piece of writing I did for Sofia the First back in March. Cleaning out writing files and thought I'd post it to give ya'll something since my muse is being fickle for the time being.