Thank You for Being a Friend
Summary: It's New Year in Enchancia, and Cedric decides to start off the year on the right foot with a little surprise for Sofia.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Sofia the First" or the title… :D
A/N: Well, Happy New Year, everyone! This last year and a half has been quite an adventure, with my delving into this series even deeper, and I don't plan on stopping. I may be slowing down a bit more, but stopping? Not likely. ;) I still have more to come, though I don't know when they'll be released, but as always just keep an eye out. Hope you're all safe and happy this final holiday. ;)
"Must I endure another of your hair-brained schemes?" Wormwood complained as he watched Cedric shuffling about the workshop and gathering several items into his arms. "She's not going to care, you know. You could give her a sock and she'd think it's the most wonderful thing in the world."
"Wormy! Stop your squawking, would you?" Cedric sighed. "It's bad enough that I'm late for this blasted New Year in Enchancia party, but now I've lost Sofia's gift… Why me?"
"Does she really need another gift? I mean, Wassailia was just last week!" He shook his head and ruffled his feathers as the sorcerer went back to his search. "I swear I'll never understand you humans…"
Cedric brightened when he found what he was looking for. He picked up the bag that contained the gift and rushed to the door before pausing and looking back at his companion. "Are you coming, Wormy?"
The raven yawned. "I'd rather ring in the new year with a much-needed rest, thank you. Go on and enjoy yourself."
The sorcerer smiled when his raven cawed and tucked in for his rest. "Sleep well then, Wormy. Happy New Year." He grinned and quickly left, pulling the door shut behind him.
"Where is he?" Sofia wondered quietly as she sat on one of the towers with her parents, siblings, Baileywick, Clover, Mia, and Robin. She'd patiently waited for her mentor for the last hour, and she was beginning to worry that he wasn't going to show up.
"Relax, Sofia," Clover encouraged with a smirk. "I'm sure old Cedric is on his way right now. As much a loner as he is, even he isn't going to miss these awesome fireworks." He proceeded to munch on his carrot.
Robin glanced down at the bunny from Sofia's right shoulder. "I don't know, Clover. Cedric missed last year's show."
"Yeah, but trust me." The bunny grinned. "He'll be here. I happened to overhear him planning something pretty cool for ya, Sofia, which upped his 'okay' factor in my book."
Mia blinked. "You have a book?" she asked in surprise.
Clover chuckled and shook his head. "It's just a figure of speech, Mia."
Amber glanced over at her younger sister. "Sofia?" she asked in concern as the girl glanced over at her. "Are you all right?"
She nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. I'm just wondering where Mr. Cedric is."
James looked over and grinned as he leaned toward them. "Relax, Sofia! He wouldn't miss this. Trust me."
The youngest princess blinked. Everyone seemed so certain that Cedric was going to be there… Was something going on that she wasn't aware of? "Um, okay, you guys." She then smiled again. "Thanks."
Cedric finally made it to the tower where the royal family resided. He caught his breath and composed himself before greeting the guards, who allowed him up. Clutching the bag securely, he ascended the stairs and stepped onto the platform where the small group was assembled.
"Good evening, Cedric," Miranda said gently with a small smile as she was the first to notice his presence.
The sorcerer smiled sheepishly as everyone turned to him. "Um, good evening, everyone… I'm sorry I'm late."
Sofia beamed. "Mr. Cedric! I was worried you weren't coming. Come on—they're just about to start the fireworks." She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to stand next to her. "You'll really like the show this year, Mr. Cedric. From what everyone was talking about, it's going to be brilliant."
James smirked. "Stealing my word, Sof?" He grinned as she giggled.
Everyone got settled in as the minutes began ticking down. It had been quite a year for all of them, with some new discoveries, new adventures, and even new friends. Of course there had been a bit of a turning point with a certain sorcerer and his apprentice…
Cedric handed Sofia the bag he'd brought so she could see exactly what he'd concealed. "Here you go, my dear. I think, perhaps, this will assist you in this New Year."
Sofia blinked and accepted his gift. "You want me to open it?" Seeing him nod, she reached into the bag and smiled as she extracted her very own spell book—a purple cover with her name engraved with pink and gold stitching. She flipped through the first few pages and tilted her head upon realizing that they were blank. She glanced at her mentor inquisitively.
Expecting this reaction, he smiled. "It has blank pages because a proper spell book is to be filled with spells and formulas that you determine and come up with. Not everything is going to work out as you want it to or expect it to, but that's the whole point of experimentation. And together, you and I are going to work to make this spell book perfect for you."
The princess smiled happily, hugging him. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric!"
"You're quite welcome." He then told her more quietly, "Really, I should be thanking you."
She blinked, confused. "Me? Why me?"
"You've taught me a lot this year, Sofia. You just don't realize it yet. However, I thank you for being an excellent student, and even more importantly, thank you for being a friend."
Sofia giggled. "You're welcome, Mr. Cedric. You're not just my friend. You're like family to me."
The sorcerer had to smile at that. She would say something like that, but he hadn't necessarily been expecting it…
"Here we go!" James announced excitedly as the crowd began counting down the final seconds. "And you guys, you might wanna pay attention to the skies!"
Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The crowd cheered as several fireworks and streamers lit up the sky, illuminating the darkness. There was something new to the show this year, though. Each explosion contained outlines of everyone—from the royal family to the workers to the villagers—streaking through the air. Even an outline of Clover and Wormwood made it into the show.
Cedric and Sofia gaped at the show, stunned as they saw their likenesses and those of several others as well.
"Who did this?" Cedric asked in surprise. "It's fantastic."
"Well," James began with a grin, "Amber and I have been planning this for a while. Of course we kind of had to go to your rival and ask for help."
He raised an eyebrow at the boy. "You went to Greylock for help? Why not me?"
"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise, of course," Amber answered matter-of-factly.
Roland chuckled. "It was a fantastic surprise… I'm honestly surprised you three managed to get everyone in Enchancia in the show."
"With Amber's meticulous planning skills, it was easy," James explained with a proud look.
Sofia nudged Cedric as a blast of music sounded through the kingdom, everyone celebrating the beginning of a new year. As the family and Baileywick descended the stairs to continue their celebration, the young girl held out her hand, smiling. "Any resolutions this year, Mr. Cedric?"
He smiled, taking her hand as he watched her holding her new spell book as if it were a precious commodity. "A few… One in particular that I'd like to continue working on, which you helped me with, is being better…as a person and as a sorcerer."
"I think you're great the way you are," she told him honestly. "But if you think there's still something you want to 'fix' or whatever, I say go for it." She grinned.
"And what of you, Princess? What is your resolution?"
"Hmm. I'm not sure." She shrugged. "I guess I'll figure mine out as I go."
"I'm quite sure you'll think of something." He playfully twirled her, reminiscent of their interaction several months ago, and chuckled. "Ready to join the party?"
"Are you planning to stay?"
"For once, Princess Sofia, I think I'm exactly where I need to be." He led her down the stairs, neither noticing the curious shimmer of the amulet before it faded to a dormant purple once again.
The end!
A/N: Yep, that was a tiny bit of potential foreshadowing for some…ahem…upcoming episodes this year. :D And phew, I made it before midnight (central time)! :) YAY! I was worried. Haha. Well, I hope everyone has a great new year; and I'm working on my own resolutions. Most of mine are private for now, but one main one is to continue my writing and delve a bit further into some pretty interesting story lines I'm planning. We'll see. ;) To everyone on the East Coast, since we're upon the hour, Happy New Year! And to everyone else, our turn is coming (or has already come). Either way, I wish you all a prosperous 2016. As always, till next time! ~AquaTurquoise