Reluctant Reunion
Summary: When Cedric receives an invitation to attend a Hexley Hall class reunion, he becomes anxious due to last year's events. To calm his fears, Sofia volunteers to accompany him.
Disclaimer: I only own Cedric's classmates. 😉 Well, sort of. Haha
A/N: I've been waiting for a time to write an actual classmate reunion story for Cedric, and that time's finally here! Hope you enjoy! (Note: reference to Sofia's gift from Cedric in "The Magic of Wassailia," throwbacks to my "Juliana the Just" stories, and even a big reference to "Caterina the Courageous" in here… :D Haha. We've come full circle! Happy New Year!)
*Story*
It was a normal Saturday with the winter chill still in the air, yet it was rather pleasant outside. The sun streamed down and warmed up those who dared to venture out into the snow. The castle was in proper order, with all of the workers tending to their normal routine. However, not even this seemingly normal, pleasant day could escape the notice of distressing news… Well, distressing for one person, anyway.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Cedric whined as he stood in the kitchen, waiting for his breakfast. He glared at the notice in his hands, his mood soured by its contents. "Ugh, I forgot about this… Why today? Why so soon?"
"Something wrong, Cedric?" Baileywick asked as he glanced up from his cup of tea. He was waiting for the royal family's breakfast to finish, so thankfully he had some time to sit and relax. However, Cedric's bellyaching about whatever was in his letter was interrupting that quiet time.
"Of course not. I don't know what gave you that idea." He blinked as one of the kitchen workers passed him a plate. "Oh, um…thank you." Without another word to Baileywick, he left the kitchen, still grumbling to himself.
"Not a morning person, is he?" Chef Andre joked to the steward, who rolled his eyes.
"I suppose you could say that."
Cedric continued his trek and wasn't watching where he was going, so he collided with someone as he'd just walked into the hallway. Surprisingly, he managed not to drop a single bit of food. He glanced down and blinked. "Sofia? Sorry, I didn't see you there."
The princess smiled up at him. "It's okay, Mr. Cedric. What are you reading?"
"Ugh, nothing of importance—and I mean that quite literally."
Sofia grinned sneakily and reached up, snatching the notice from her friend despite his protests. "If it's nothing important, then you won't mind if I see it," she teased before glancing at the information. She blinked and looked toward her mentor. "Mr. Cedric, this is an invitation to attend your class reunion today." She seemed confused as he took the invitation back and pocketed it before absently shoving some of the food into his mouth. "You don't want to go?"
Since he had his mouth full and found it incredibly rude to speak in such a situation, he merely shook his head.
Sofia blinked. "Why not?"
The sorcerer gave his apprentice a deadpanned look before swallowing and sighing. "I think you already know the answer to that, Sofia."
She smiled and gently patted his arm. "Mr. Cedric, we go through this at least three times a week. You're a great sorcerer. You've done a lot of things and gone through a lot of changes and experiences most others don't. A reunion is your chance to prove that."
"Great sorcerers don't try to overtake their employers' kingdoms." Cedric passed his empty plate to a nearby worker and began trudging off down the hallway, knowing full well the girl was already following him.
"But…that was a long time ago now, and you've apologized, and we've all forgiven you." She grasped his arm, stopping him from walking any farther. "What's the big deal?"
He sighed heavily and gently removed her hand, folding his arms instead. "The 'big deal,' Sofia, is that word travels fast. These people will have known of my involvement in the Order of the Wand. They'll likely even ask about Greylock, whose whereabouts and fate I don't know. And then, of course, they'll start in on 'why' I felt the need to do such a thing, and the whole, 'Oh-he's-still-the-same-old-bumbling-Cedric' thing…" He shook his head. "No, thanks. I would rather stay here and play chess with Cordelia all day…and she cheats worse than Wormwood."
Sofia frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "Mr. Cedric, stop being so scared of showing people who you really are."
Cedric gave his friend a surprised look. "What do you mean?"
"You never want anyone to see what a great person you are. You only seem to be yourself around me and Calista…and maybe a few others. But what so many people don't know about you is how wonderful you really are. You never give them a chance to see that side of you, and I don't understand why."
"Because sometimes, even I'm not sure who I am." He leaned against the wall as Sofia followed suit, gazing up at him, baffled. "My classmates at Hexley Hall had expectations, Sofia. We were to be the grandest due to our magical abilities. Except, of course, I managed to bungle things often after the 'incident' with Cordelia."
"But that wasn't your fault, remember?"
"Of course I do—years later. Who I am now is not who I was then."
"Exactly!" She smiled and gestured widely. "There's nothing wrong with that either! Maybe they'll appreciate how far you've come. Maybe they won't. And even if they don't, who cares? You're great at what you do, and you're very much appreciated." She lowered her arms to her sides as Cedric gave her a contemplative look. "So… What do you think?"
He sighed. "I think I must be crazy for even agreeing to this, but fine… I'll go."
Sofia beamed and hugged him happily. "I'm proud of you, Mr. Cedric!" She looked up at him sincerely. "And hey, if you need some support, I can even go with you if you'd like."
Cedric placed his hands on her shoulders as she stepped back. "I couldn't ask you to do that, my dear."
"You didn't. I volunteered." She giggled and placed her hands over his. "We're in this together, remember?"
He smiled and nodded as she released his hands. "Don't tell the others, but…you're my favorite."
She laughed. "I don't think that's exactly a secret, Mr. Cedric." She grinned. "I'm going to get some breakfast. I'll meet you in your workshop after?"
"Yes, that's fine." He turned and headed toward his tower as the princess walked in the opposite direction. "What on earth have I gotten myself into…?"
"So who all do you think will be at your reunion?" Sofia asked as she watched Cedric cleaning up his workspace. She'd already gotten permission to travel with him, so she was ready to go when he was.
"I couldn't say, really… We've lost a few since I graduated, and then of course Greylock—you know…" He sighed as he picked up his wand. "I think it best to just wait and see, hmm?"
She nodded in agreement. "Okay." She didn't want to upset him or ask too many questions on an obviously touchy subject. Maybe his classmates were just as judgmental as others around him had been? Maybe they were mean? Cruel? Sofia felt a chill rush through her as she grasped her amulet in concern. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…
Cedric noticed her actions and frowned as he sat across from her. "Sofia?"
She didn't respond, instead staring at her amulet with a blank look on her face.
"Sofia." He reached over and grasped her hand that was clinging to the amulet and gave her a perplexed look when she gasped and looked at him. "Look, I'm supposed to be the uncertain one in this case. What's wrong?"
"I was just…" She shook her head and smiled. "It's okay. I'm fine. I just got lost in thought."
He frowned. "You're certain?"
Sofia nodded. "Yes. Let's… I'm ready when you are!" She stood up energetically, trying to make him feel better about the day ahead.
Cedric rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Well, then… My 'readiness' may be ready in another ten years."
"Oh, come on, Mr. Cedric." Determination renewed, Sofia grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can come back."
He reached out and grabbed his winter robe, fastening it over his normal outfit, before following along behind his apprentice. "I'll admit, it's the 'coming back' part I'm looking forward to the most." He used his wand to change her usual dress into her apprentice robe—the one he'd designed for her for Wassailia. He smiled as she grinned toward him. "But thank you, Sofia, for sticking with me on this."
The princess giggled. "Always, Mr. Cedric. Come on!" With little warning, she grabbed his hand again and pulled him down the spiral staircase.
Hexley Hall appeared as grand and (for Cedric) as mocking in some respects as ever. It was as if the building just beckoned him, saying, "Come on, Sorcerer. Round two." He frowned before gathering his courage and marching toward the entrance, Sofia following right next to him.
"What do they have planned for this reunion?" Sofia inquired as they entered the building.
"It's pretty casual, from what the invitation said." He withdrew the notice from his robe and glanced over the details. "Yes… Pretty much food and the opportunity to reconnect." He sighed and pocketed the invitation yet again. "If I'd wanted that, I would have just spent time with Wormy."
The princess smiled and shook her head. "Lighten up, Mr. Cedric. Maybe you'll have a good time. Who knows?"
Before he could respond, he heard a voice coming from nearby.
"Cedric?" a woman asked with clear surprise. She hurried over to the duo, her long red curly hair bouncing against her back as she did so. Her bright green eyes were rather expressive, shining with mirth. She had on perhaps the fanciest purple robe Sofia had ever seen, as it was lined with white faux fur. Also unmissed was the huge wedding ring that gleamed in the light from her left ring finger. "Oh, my word! It is you!"
Cedric stepped back a bit, surprised by the sudden greeting. "G-Gracie?"
The woman grinned and folded her arms. "It's just Grace now, since I'm a well-respected magical performance artist." She turned to the side, waving over a dark-complexioned man with short, slick black hair and a sharp green suit. "Adam, darling, come see! It's Cedric!"
"Adam? You married Adam?" Cedric blinked as the well-dressed man stepped up to his wife, smiling gently as she took his arm.
"Yep! Married for ten years now. And we have four little girls."
"Aww," Sofia cooed with a smile.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what it was like living with four little girls," Adam joked lightly, his voice very quiet in comparison with his wife's.
"Adam is now a magical author, and he's written several books for the university." Grace then smiled and placed her hands on her knees, leaning toward a startled Sofia. "And who's this little cutie?"
Cedric placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and guided her back from the ball of energy that was Grace. "This is my apprentice, Sofia."
"Princess Sofia?" Grace gasped. "And here I heard you hadn't made it big in Enchancia." The redhead grinned at the sulking sorcerer before her. "Nicely done, Cedric. Working with royals is always a treat." She turned and grinned as she spotted someone else. "Ah, Nancy! Wait up! Come on, Adam!" She grabbed the dark-haired man and tugged him away before calling over her shoulder, "Nice meeting you, Princess Sofia! Toodles, Cedric!"
"Wow…," Sofia breathed as she adjusted her apprentice hat, which had slipped during Grace's energetic encounter. "She's…interesting."
"She's a nuisance," Cedric informed her. "Always had to be the first to volunteer for everything in class. Always won every magical science fair." He rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised Adam put up with her, honestly. He's a man of few words, but for some reason he seems to tolerate her."
"Yeah, well, they do say opposites attract, right?" The girl shrugged as Cedric folded his arms.
"I suppose. Right now, I'm more concerned about this food they indicated would be here." He smiled down at her. "Are you hungry?"
Sofia grinned. "Well, I'm not going to say no to food…"
Once the friends had gotten a few plates of food and sat down at a table to eat, they spent some time people watching. Cedric nudged Sofia when he saw someone in particular. "See him?" he asked, nodding toward a tanned man with a short black ponytail and a dark casual suit. "That's Lyle the Laudable. He and Greylock used to be rivals."
"Really?" Sofia asked as she picked up a chocolate-covered strawberry. "Why?"
"You remember when I told you the story about Juliana?" He smiled as she gave him a pointed look. "Of course you do… Heh, well, Lyle actually really liked Juliana, and of course Greylock didn't like that, so he sort of…challenged him to a magical standoff." He shrugged. "Lyle won."
"Hmm. And do you see anyone else?" She took a bite of her snack and smiled afterward. The magical chefs and bakers really knew what they were doing when it came to food, evidently.
"Oh, look, Sofia!" Cedric glanced toward a woman dressed in a stylish black outfit with a beautiful necklace accessorizing it. She had long brown hair tied into a half-ponytail and an unmistakable mark on the left side of her face. "Do you recognize her from one of my stories I told you?"
The princess gasped. "Is that…Caterina the Courageous?"
He nodded. "Yes. Last I heard, she was still a royal counselor. Though since she was a grade ahead of us, I'm not entirely sure what she is doing at this particular reunion…"
"Can we meet her?" Sofia asked excitedly as her friend seemed unsure. "It would be awesome to meet someone from all those classmate stories you've told me the last few years. She seems nice!"
"She is, but…" He sighed, seeing he wasn't going to win this nonverbal argument. "Very well. Have you finished your meal?"
"Yes." She stood up and pulled her mentor to his feet. "Come on, Mr. Cedric. We can't be completely standoffish today."
"I don't know why not. I've done a rather good job of it so far." He smiled in amusement as his friend tugged him over to yet another classmate. Seeing she wasn't paying attention, he hesitantly reached up and tapped the woman on the shoulder.
Caterina turned and smiled brightly. "Cedric?" she asked in awe. "Wow, you look wonderful!"
Cedric became a bit bashful at the compliment before nodding appreciatively. "Thank you, Caterina… Oh, allow me to introduce my apprentice, Princess Sofia of Enchancia."
Sofia smiled and curtsied to the older woman. "Nice to meet you."
"Oh, what a sweet girl. And a princess." She nodded in understanding. "Oh, that's right. Gaspard told me about your job as a royal sorcerer."
"Oh, so you married Gaspard then?" Cedric nodded. "That explains your being here. I told Sofia you had been in a grade ahead of us." He smiled pleasantly, finally falling into a comfortable pattern of discussion. "Where is he anyway?"
Caterina smiled sadly. "I'm afraid he's no longer with us… Since last year, actually."
"Oh…" Cedric frowned, suddenly uncertain what to do or say. "I'm…very sorry to hear that, Caterina. He was a good man."
"Yes, he was." She turned when she heard someone call her name before glancing back at the two friends. "I'm afraid I have to go. It was wonderful seeing you, Cedric. And nice to meet you, little princess." She smiled fleetingly before leaving.
"Well," Sofia began softly, "that wasn't exactly how I expected everything to go…" She frowned. "Poor Mrs. Caterina."
"I know. Ohh, this is why I despise events like this though, Sofia." He sighed as they began walking in another direction. "I'm so incredibly awkward talking with these people, especially if they deliver news like that. I never know how to respond."
"It's all right, Mr. Cedric. I didn't know how to react either…" She blinked as he suddenly stopped, holding his hand out and ceasing her movement as well. "What's going on?"
"We're just going to go this way," he suggested, taking her hand and turning briskly to the left, pushing through a crowd.
"What's the matter, Mr. Cedric?"
"I just saw two people I'd really rather not encounter," he responded as they made it to the back of the room. He frowned as he saw the two in question laughing uproariously in the middle of the crowd. "Florence and Eli, the most annoying couple Hexley Hall ever encountered," he explained to his apprentice.
Sofia laughed before looking toward her friend. "How can a couple be annoying? If they're in love, that's a good thing, right?"
"Yes, well, there's 'being in love,' and then there's flaunting it so that the entire school feels sick to their stomach." He rolled his eyes. "It started off with the nauseating hand-holding during class. Then it evolved into staring into each other's eyes at lunch. And eventually, they began…baby talk." He shuddered.
The princess blinked innocently and tilted her head. "They were talking to babies?"
"I wish, Sofia… I wish." He yelped when he realized he'd been spotted, as Florence, a blonde woman with a red and gold robe, was excitedly waving at him. "Oh, no."
"I think she wants your attention. Whoa!" Sofia barely had time to react before Cedric had grasped her arm and started pulling her along to another part of the room. "Mr. Cedric? Where are we going?"
"Hopefully, far away from the Cooing Couple," he grumbled as they hurried along. However, it was no use. No sooner had they reached the other side of the room…
"Cedric!"
"Ugh…" Cautiously, the sorcerer and the princess both turned to see Florence standing right behind them, her hands on her hips. "Um…hello, Florence. Heh…"
The blonde woman raised both eyebrows at the meager greeting. "Hello, yourself. Interesting how I call out to you, wave in your direction, and then you run. I get that you're not entirely a people person, but really, Cedric? Really?" She shook her head with a dissatisfied sigh. "At least some things never change." She then lowered her arms and smiled toward the young girl. "And who's this?"
Sofia held up her hands to Cedric as he was about to go into introductions yet again. "I've got it, Mr. Cedric." She smiled toward the woman. "Hi, Mrs. Florence. My name is Princess Sofia of Enchancia. I'm Mr. Cedric's apprentice."
"How delightful!" She turned as her husband walked up next to her. "Did you hear that, Eli? Cedric here has a princess for his apprentice."
Eli, a serious-looking blonde man with a blue star-patterned top and dark slacks, frowned in confusion. "Why on earth would a princess work under a sorcerer?" he asked, his tone rather condescending.
"Because I love magic?" the young girl suggested with an annoyed tinge to her voice. Really? Who was this guy to question her motive?
"Of course you do, little one," Florence agreed. "Magic is fantastic once you've gotten the hang of it. I should know. I work at a university as a professor of magical items. Eli here is a professional chemist, specializing in magical aspects of nature."
"Magic is convenient," Eli explained with a bored yawn. "It's second nature to those of us born with the gift. However, it is not the be-all-end-all of everything." He glanced toward his wife. "Let's go, darling. I believe we've stayed long enough."
"Oh, yes." She smiled toward Cedric. "It was nice seeing you again, Cedric. Do take care. Goodbye, Princess Sofia." She nodded toward the girl before taking her husband's arm and leaving.
Sofia made a face. "Can I just say…? I'm starting to understand your point of view now."
Cedric smirked. "Told you. Aside from Juliana, Caterina, and very few others, this school was full of busy-bodies with haughty attitudes. Florence can be kind, but she still has that egotistical side to her."
She sighed and nodded. "Well, at least you came. I am proud of you for taking that step at least. I guess we can go home now."
"I've never been more thrilled to hear those words." He chuckled as she grasped his arm while they left the building. He sighed as he glanced back at his alma mater. "If I don't see this place again for a while, I won't be upset. Too many disappointing memories here, especially recently."
Sofia grinned. "I guess you're just going to have to come back to my school for a while and substitute for our class again."
Cedric laughed softly as they got into their flying coach. "You know, as surprising as it sounds, I actually wouldn't be opposed to that." He frowned when he saw Sofia sit across from him and sigh. "What's the matter, Sofia?"
"I guess it's just… I thought there would be more of a resolution for you if we went to your reunion. I'm sorry it didn't go as well as I'd hoped."
He smiled and shook his head. "I look at it another way… I kind of knew what to expect, but there were a few good parts. However, now I guess it's safe to say that I can finally consider that a closed chapter and move on. After all, things make more sense if you pay attention to what lies ahead instead of worrying about what you've left behind."
"Unless there are bad guys behind you," Sofia offered, grinning when he gave her a pointed stare.
"You sure know how to destroy a metaphor, Sofia." He chuckled as she snickered. "Anyway, when we get back to the castle, what do you say to a cup of hot cocoa?"
She nodded happily. "That will be great." As she gazed out the window at the snow, she smiled thoughtfully. "It sure seems peaceful now, doesn't it?"
Cedric did the same and sighed. "Yes…" He then felt a distinct shiver go through him as a horrible thought came to him: 'But for how much longer?' Pushing that thought aside, he glanced back at his apprentice. "Perhaps we could also meet up with Cordelia and Calista?"
The princess seemed thrilled to hear that suggestion. "I'd love that."
Regardless of whatever lay ahead, they cherished these moments of peace and quiet while they could get them. Because they knew, all too well, how easily they could be ripped away.
The end (and foreshadowing for "Umbra Inferno" :D)