Quality Time

Summary: Cedric's mother Winifred the Wise comes for a visit at the same time the king, queen, and twins are leaving for a visit to another kingdom. As Sofia wishes to stay behind, Roland leaves the princess in Cedric's care.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Sofia the First" or any characters associated with the show.

A/N: I would like to send a huge thank you to all of my readers/reviewers/subscribers and those who have added my stories to their favorite lists. Without you all, I wouldn't continue writing as much as I do. You have really helped me develop as a writer over the last several years (or months, rather, within this realm), and I couldn't do it without you. (PS—MickiStarlight, I really was honored to receive such a kind review in "The Best Gift Ever" from you. I take "humble pride" in my work for the mere fact that I'm able to complete a story and send it out there for people to enjoy. :) Thank you for your encouragement. Other thanks to the following: gypsywitch19, kms77, Niagara14301, Luiz4200, Isiah02, and many others!)

"Ooh, can we try this one?" Sofia asked one evening as she was flipping through Cedric's spell book, curious as to what kind of new things she and her mentor could attempt.

"Hmm?" Cedric glanced over her shoulder and scoffed. "Princess Sofia, that's a weak spell. If you seriously want my help, pick something a little more challenging."

"Yes, so he can completely bumble it again and nearly set the workshop on fire," Wormwood drawled with an eye roll, sighing. "You know, he really never does learn."

Sofia just smiled at the raven and looked back to Cedric. "Okay, what about the prism spell you mentioned last week? I've always wanted to make my own rainbow."

The sorcerer pondered her request before nodding. "Very well. I'll humor you on that one. Besides, if what they say about rainbows is true…" He grinned and chuckled. "…Maybe we can get our own 'pot o' gold,' eh?"

The girl giggled at his slight altered accent. "Maybe… So, can we give it a try?"

"Certainly." He picked up his wand and waved it around slowly. "Twists of light and colors glow; weave into a bright rain—"

"Cedric!" the king's voice boomed as he opened the door, startling the sorcerer.

"B-Bow!" Cedric stuttered as a finish, watching in horror as a large colorful hair bow appeared above the king's head and began raining on the taller man.

Sofia laughed with a shrug. "Well…I guess, technically, that is a 'rain bow.'"

Cedric laughed nervously before bowing apologetically to the other royal. "I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I wasn't expecting you."

"It's all right, Cedric…but could you kindly retract your raining bow and dry me off?"

"Y-Yes, of course." He pointed his wand at the offending object, muttering a quiet spell and watching as it disappeared. He then directed his wand at Roland. "Siccabis." A burst of warm air covered the king and dried him instantly.

"Ah, that's better…" Roland straightened his clothes and looked toward the other two. "As I was saying, I've come to collect Sofia. We're heading to Tangu for a meeting, and Amber has been going on and on about carpet rides and all kinds of things." He chuckled. "I understand the two of you trained a wild one last time."

"Well, yeah, but…" Sofia sighed and looked up at Cedric, who was tapping his wand against his hand nervously, worried that it would do something wrong again and that he would get himself into trouble. "Dad, I really wanted to stay here this time. Mr. Cedric was going to teach me the Prism Spell, and I also promised him I would help gather some ingredients for restocking." She smiled cutely. "You don't want me to break a promise, do you?"

The king eyed his stepdaughter with a small smile. "No, I suppose not… But you realize that if you stay here, we're going to be gone for three days and you'll likely miss out on something fun."

"But I always have fun with Mr. Cedric," Sofia argued lightly, smiling. "He's a good teacher."

Cedric glanced at her curiously. "I…I am?"

"Well, Cedric," Roland started, getting his sorcerer's attention, "it looks like Sofia will be staying here. And I guess that means you'll be in charge of her."

"M-Me?" He chuckled nervously and waved his hands. "Your Majesty, no disrespect, b-but I…I don't know if I'm capable of watching after Princess Sofia. I—I have a lot of work to do."

"And from the sound of it, she'll be more than happy to help." The king nodded firmly, having made his decision. "Besides, at least it's just Sofia and not the twins, right?"

Cedric groaned inwardly. He had a point… If he'd been stuck with Amber and James rather than the brunette princess, he didn't know what he would do… Probably retire early and move in with his parents. He shuddered at that thought. Then, something occurred to him as he asked, "Couldn't Baileywick watch the dear princess while I'm working?"

"Among the many other obligations he has with keeping the castle running in pristine order? Nonsense." He smiled as he patted Sofia's shoulder. "Besides, she seems to enjoy spending time with you, and I'm sure she'll be no trouble. Isn't that right, Sofia?"

The young girl nodded with a smile. "I promise! I'll be on my best behavior."

Cedric sighed, realizing he really had no choice. Well, he did see the girl practically every day anyway, and she was more help than harm…so… "Yes, Your Majesty…"

Roland nodded. "Great." He knelt down and waited as Sofia ran over to him and gave him a hug. "Now, if you should need anything, Baileywick will assist you; and if nothing else, we're only a flying coach away."

Sofia giggled and stepped back, grasping Cedric's hand playfully. "Don't be silly, Dad. If I need help, I'll ask Mr. Cedric. He's always there for me."

Cedric felt a small swell of pride within, only to have it squashed by a slight feeling of guilt. True, he hadn't been after the girl's amulet recently, but that didn't change the fact that he had at one point—okay, several points—tried to manipulate her into handing over her powerful necklace. Apparently, he was far more subtle than the likes of Ms. Nettle, because she still trusted him. Oh, how's that for a guilt trip?

"Cedric?" Roland asked, noticing the faraway look in the sorcerer's eyes.

"Oh!" He blinked, stuttering, "Y-Yes, I'll take good care of Princess Sofia, Your Majesty. I promise."

"Very well. All right, I'm off to get Miranda and the other two then; we're getting a bit of a late start, but Amber and James didn't want to wait until the morning to leave." He chuckled and looked at the young princess. "And just so you know, I wouldn't be surprised if you got a present when we get back." He winked at Sofia.

She smiled happily. "You don't have to do that. But…if you want to then thank you."

The king bid them farewell and left at last, ready to get the rest of his family and get away for a little while.

Sofia turned to her friend and laughed softly. "You can breathe now," she joked lightly.

Cedric sighed as Sofia released his hand finally. He walked over to his spell book and stared at the pages. "It's always nerve wracking when the king visits me unannounced," he admitted.

"Why are you so scared of him?"

"I'm not scared of him… I'm wary of him." He folded his arms. "I always get nervous around him, because he practically monitors every move I make. It's like he expects me to make a mistake." He sighed. "So much for 'Cedric the Sensational.'"

Sofia's face grew a little sad. Did he really feel like that? Was he really that intimidated by the king? "But you are sensational, Mr. Cedric. I don't hand out titles to just anyone." She smiled happily, hoping to cheer him up.

Cedric did manage a small smile of appreciation as he looked back at his apprentice. "Thanks, Princess Sofia…"

"Now…about my Prism Spell?" She grinned as she held up her practice wand.

"Oh, yes, of course." He held up his wand in response and repeated the interrupted spell from earlier: "Twists of light and colors glow; weave into a bright rainbow!"

"Wow!" Sofia's eyes sparkled in excitement as a small prism appeared and reflected thousands of tiny rainbows all over Cedric's workshop. She twirled around slowly, taking it all in. "This is by far my favorite spell, Mr. Cedric," she breathed happily.

Cedric chuckled and shook his head good-naturedly. "Why am I not surprised?"

"So, do I just…?" She held up her wand and waved it around somewhat haphazardly.

"What are you doing?" Cedric asked, grasping the end her wand so she would stop her movements. "If you keep that up, you're likely to hurt yourself. Remember what I taught you: slow and steady does the trick."

"Right." She waited until he moved his hand before she moved the wand slowly. "Twists of light and…" She looked up at him for help, watching as he mouthed along with her, "…colors glow; weave into a bright r-rainbow." She gasped when the magic from the wand shot straight up and exploded, creating a literal fall of tiny half-colored/half-gray rainbows that soon covered the entire workshop floor. "What happened?"

"You hesitated," he told her gently, taking her hand that held the wand and moving it slowly. "Remember, if you're confident in your spell, then everything will be fine. I think we've learned that lesson plenty of times, right?" Seeing her nod, he instructed, "Try it again. Then, I'm going to do a cleanup spell."

"Okay." With Cedric's hand guiding her wand, she breathed and began: "Twists of light and colors glow; weave into a bright rainbow." She smiled when the spell worked correctly this time and her own prism appeared to bounce tiny rainbows around the room. "I did it!"

"Yes, you certainly did. Nicely done, Princess." He released her hand and held up his own wand. "All right, now we need to get this place cleaned up. And then you need to get to bed."

She smiled pleadingly. "Just one more spell?"

"No," Cedric told her firmly, putting his free hand on his hip. "We've done five spells today. And they weren't easy ones either. Now, you may not be tired, but I most certainly am." He smirked when she pouted. "And save the pouting for someone who isn't immune to it."

She giggled and sighed. "Okay, fine…"

"Tabernam tersus," Cedric spoke, watching as the rainbows disappeared and his workshop was restored to its normal order. "There, that's more like it." He couldn't stifle the yawn that escaped him, indicating just how tired he was and how long of a day it had actually been. "All right, Princess Sofia. I think…" He blinked, realizing she was looking at the portrait of his parents. "Dear girl, whatever are you doing?"

"Remember when you said you'd invite your mom before the end of the year?" she asked, smiling toward him sweetly.

"Vaguely," he responded simply, shrugging. "What of it?"

"Well, it's sort of the end of the year now…and with my parents and siblings gone on an adventure, this would be a good time for her to come stay. Don't you think so?"

Cedric shook his head uncertainly. "I don't know, Sofia… I'm not sure how King Roland would like a visitor in his castle without him here."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Besides, Dad likes your parents, doesn't he?"

"Of course, especially Father. But he, um…" He hesitated, especially since he couldn't necessarily let Sofia in on how his mother knew about and even sometimes encouraged his 'schemes' he'd once put in the foreground. Granted, his mother seemed to understand that he wasn't working on said 'schemes' currently—maybe for good, but that was to be determined. Still, he was a little unsure how she would interact with Sofia and the other castle dwellers when she was actually present for a while. However, she did seem to like the princess, so…

"Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked, worried about his random lapse from reality.

Cedric blinked and looked back at her. "Sorry, Princess. Okay, I suppose it would be fine for a day or two. But she must be gone before your father gets back."

"So her visit is like a secret?"

The sorcerer smiled with a small hum. "Mm, you could say that… I just don't need any more trouble."

"If you say so…" The girl smiled in return and handed him her practice wand. "All right, I know you and Wormwood are tired, so I'll let you two get your rest." She gave him a quick hug before waving at Wormwood. "Good night! I'll see you in the morning." She left the workshop in a pleasant mood.

Cedric sighed and placed the wand onto the table before glancing at Wormwood. "Wormy, we may be in over our heads…"

The raven scoffed and muttered, "You're telling me."

To be continued…

[Well, this is the end of Chapter 1! I don't recall the last time I've written a multi-chapter story. As far as I can tell, this story should have no more than three chapters. I'm not really a "multi-chapter" fan as far as my own personal writing goes. I usually like one-shots, but I feel this deserves proper attention to detail, so I'm aiming for two more chapters. If all goes well, this story should be completed within the course of a week or two. I hope you all are enjoying it thus far! AquaTurquoise]