Constant Companion
Summary: Cedric gets aggravated with Roland's unattainable expectations during preparation for a dinner party, so Sofia helps him cool off by taking him out of the castle for a while.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First!
A/N: So here's that friendship "Cedfia" story I promised. ;) Good to get back into writing again. And hey! I was even early. :D Yay!
"No, no, no," Roland sighed as he held one hand to his temple and placed his other on his hip, a sign that he was growing exasperated with the current situation. He looked toward his Royal Sorcerer and gave him a conflicted look. "Cedric, I said 'bubble curtain,' not 'blood-red curtain.' If I wanted that, I'd just ask Baileywick to do it."
"Maybe you should," Cedric muttered sarcastically under his breath before bowing apologetically toward the king and clutching his wand to himself securely. "I am sorry, Your Majesty. I'll try again."
"Yes, please do. And remember—bubbles." He turned and headed to the other side of the ballroom to observe what the other staff members were doing.
"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia giggled happily as she skipped up to him. She held up a picture of a mermaid and a dolphin. "What do you think?"
"I think I need a vacation," he lamented, making her smile and shake her head. He glanced down at the drawing she was holding up and blinked. "Oh, you mean the picture? It's nice, Sofia…"
"Just 'nice?' Aw, I spent all afternoon working on it." She pouted when he gave her a defeated look. She laughed softly and placed it on a table before gently patting his arm. "I'm just kidding, Mr. Cedric. Thanks for the compliment." She glanced toward her stepfather, who was busily instructing one of the workers which windows needed to be cleaned better. "Dad sure is in a different kind of mood today, huh?"
"Yes, well, he always seems to get like this when some really important party comes around… Of course, with it being King Magnus, I'm not necessarily surprised."
"King Magnus?" She lit up with a bright smile. "Does that mean Mr. Greylock is coming to the dinner party too?"
"Hey, hey! Don't get excited about another royal sorcerer, Princess!" He smirked as she laughed. "What, I'm not good enough?"
"You're so funny, Mr. Cedric." She smiled as he formed a new set of bubbles, which created a rather large curtain and covered the window in front of which he stood. "That looks really good," the princess acknowledged as she reached out to touch the curtain, feeling a slightly airy/wet sensation as she caressed the bubbles. "And they don't pop?"
"Not if you know the anti-popping spell," he hinted with a wink toward his apprentice, who nodded in understanding.
"Cedric!" Roland called as he walked over to the sorcerer and his stepdaughter. "Oh, well… Hmm." He touched his hand to his chin as if in thought. "It's much better, but…"
Cedric really wanted to throw his wand at the indecisive king right now, but he assumed that would probably be a sign of aggression which could either get him fired or worse…so he resisted. "…But…?"
"Why is it clear?"
A look of confusion passed over Cedric's face. "Because…bubbles are clear, Your Majesty."
"Make them red. Oh, and if you can manage to put a glimmer-shimmer type of thing to each of them, that would be even better." He turned when he heard his name being called by another worker, so he moved to inspect the next item on the list.
"Red bubbles," Cedric muttered before frowning. "Red bubbles… Red!"
"Um, Mr. Cedric…?" Sofia blinked at him in surprise, seeing he appeared to be a little more than frustrated at this point. "Are you all right?"
"He wants red bubbles, Sofia. No, he couldn't be happy with the fact that there is a huge, pop-free bubble curtain before his very eyes… He just keeps pushing it and making it even more…argh…" He aimed his wand at the curtain and instantly turned all of the bubbles red. "Why stop at red? Why not make them rainbow with live unicorns inside? Princess Amber would love that!"
"Mr. Cedric, come here." The youngest royal took her friend's hand and quickly led him out of the ballroom before his ranting became loud enough for others to hear. If they did, that would certainly not be good for him. She led him outside and down the steps before stopping them near a tree. She looked up at her mentor and asked, "Are you all right?"
"There is this thing called a limit, Sofia," he explained as he slouched against the tree before all but collapsing to the ground in an exhausted heap. "Your father doesn't have one, and I've reached mine."
"I know Dad can be a bit…picky…but don't let it get to you." She sat down beside him and lifted his arm, smiling as he unconsciously wrapped it around her shoulders so she could sit closer to him. "It's just the way he is. He doesn't mean anything by it."
"No, he never has…all these years later, and you'd think I'd be used to it, but no… No, we just don't see eye to eye."
"But he's lucky to have you," the girl informed him, smiling when he eyed her curiously. "You do a lot for him, Mr. Cedric, and for a lot of other people too."
"You're right," he agreed with a playful air. "I'm practically your babysitter now."
Sofia gasped. "I'm not a baby! I'm your apprentice! And your best friend, so don't forget that."
He laughed. "How could I?" He glanced up as he heard thunder rolling overhead. "Perhaps we should get back inside."
"Are you going to be okay?" Sofia blinked up at him.
"I can handle your father, Sofia. And surprisingly, I can handle my temper, too…more so than my father can." He smirked. "I'll never forget when he actually got angry with something King Roland I asked him to do, and that rarely happened."
"What did he want your dad to do that made him so mad?" The young girl stood and held her hands out to her friend, who took them and stood next to her.
"He asked my father to make all the cows at some presentation of livestock they were having meow like cats."
Sofia laughed. "Why?"
"I still have no idea. King Roland I was a nice enough man, but he certainly had some eccentricities… Anyway, my father thought it was a stupid idea, but he wouldn't go against the king's wishes—no matter how strange they were—and did so." He began walking back to the castle with his apprentice close to his side. "Well…one cow got separated from the rest and decided to settle in for the night right outside my family's window. While we were attempting to sleep, the cow wouldn't stop meowing." He snickered when Sofia started laughing. "I know. It sounds strange even saying it."
The second princess of Enchancia giggled as she calmed from her mirthful display of happiness. "Oh, Mr. Cedric, you have some of the best stories."
"And I haven't even told you about the time—eh, no, wait… I should probably save that story for when you're older." He smirked at her confused look and opened the door, ushering her in. "Trust me."
Sofia smiled and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric!"
Upon returning to the decorating, Cedric finished the king's requested design and sighed in resignation. Red bubbles, shimmering a little too tackily for his taste, covered the large windows in the room. He would never understand some of the king's ideas, but then again, he assumed it ran in the family at this point.
"Oh, Cedric, it's wonderful!" Roland announced as he stood beside the sorcerer and observed the display. "Nice job."
He blinked. "Th-Thank you, Your Majesty… I'm glad it lives up to your expectations."
"Just one request."
Cedric frowned inwardly. 'Naturally,' he thought as Sofia watched them from a few feet away.
"Let's make the bubbles clear. All this red glow is giving me a creepy, evil feeling…" He nodded as if affirming his decision. "Yes. That should do. Thanks, Cedric." He turned and left.
Too stunned and annoyed to form any words, the sorcerer glanced down at his apprentice, who giggled and shrugged. "See what I mean?"
"Relax, Mr. Cedric. I've got it." She took his wand and aimed it at the bubble curtain. "Cristallum!" She smiled proudly when the red bubbles returned to their clear state again.
"Where did you learn that spell?" Cedric asked, impressed.
"You talk in your sleep," she informed him with a giggle. Seeing his baffled look, she explained, "When I walked into your workshop late one night, you'd fallen asleep at your desk, and you were reciting all the spells about colors. I just paid attention."
He rolled his eyes but smiled. "Naturally. And thank you for your help, Sofia."
The princess beamed at her friend. "Any time, Mr. Cedric."
The end
A/N: I so wanted to do a joke about "seeing red" for Cedric (because let's face it, he was), but it didn't fit into the story like I wanted. Darn it. Haha. Ah, well. Hope you liked it! And thanks for all the reviews for "Double Take." :) They made me happy. And my dad was the one who was in the accident, but he is fine now. Thanks for the prayers and concern.
Theblindwriter95: No problem! Glad you liked it.
Sofia2015: Thanks, girl. Glad you got some ideas. And yes, everyone is fine, and glad to hear about your grandfather's improvement. :) No worries.
Royal Detective: Aw, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Yes, more Cedric/Sofia stories will be coming back. I've neglected them for a few weeks, so I'm antsy. Lol. And glad you enjoyed the Baileywick part. I have to add him in when the twins are concerned somehow! :D
CedricAmber: Aw, thanks, girly! ;) I wanted to expand more on James and Amber, but sometimes you need to step back from an idea and let it come back to you. I was literally running out of ideas for them, so I figured it would be best to wait until later to continue with their "miniseries" type of thing. :D I do plan to write another twin story later on though. And I'm glad you liked the Baileywick interruption. I laughed while writing that, because he's like the "all-knowing ninja" who just appears when you least expect it…I think. :p By the way, miss you on Chatzy! Hope to see you there sometime soon if everything goes well.