No
Summary: No. It's such a simple word, isn't it? It can mean so many different things, both positive and negative. And Cedric has had his fair share of experiences with each at this point.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show.
A/N: This was a random thought one night a few nights ago… The word "no" is just so negative…but it can also be so positive too! Words have stronger meanings than we give them credit for, and I wanted to explore that a bit. Hope you enjoy, even if it came from my mind rambling on. Short but sweet! ;)
*Story*
No. It was a word he'd heard all his life. No, he wouldn't be as great as his father. No, he would never live down Cordelia's Sorceress Ball incident. No, schoolmates would never understand what it was like living in a castle and growing up with royalty. No, no, no.
Those negatives from his childhood were like vague memories now, hardly worth his time at all. He'd since made amends with his family and gotten past his insecurities of being a subpar sorcerer in comparison to his father and sister. He had honestly been ashamed of being in his father's well-respected shadow as a royal sorcerer. So many had tried to tell him that he would never fill those Goodwyn-styled shoes. He certainly hoped not. His father had strange taste in shoes, anyway! Curled toes? The nerve.
Anyway, no, he wasn't like his father. But that was all right. He'd developed his own sense of style and flair for magic over the years. He was writing his own story, one which had highly differentiated chapters to indicate the interesting shifts his life seemed to make. Today was different from yesterday; yet nothing could compare to the difference between now and several months ago. It was like an entirely new story was being written.
When Sofia had discovered his secret… The look on her face… No, he couldn't stand seeing her that upset. And yet, no, he wouldn't let her stop him from doing what he'd longed to do for so long!
No, he didn't fully succeed. How could he? The guilt plagued him and ate away at him instantly, causing her to instantly yet gently defeat him. She'd later asked, in that dungeon, if he knew why she was most angry. When he'd guessed because he'd tried to take over the kingdom, what had her answer been?
No. No… It's because he'd said they weren't friends; he'd known it wasn't true, and so had she. That was one time he'd been thankful for her perceptiveness. If she'd truly believed him when he'd said that… He couldn't imagine his life in the dungeon with only his raven and his thoughts. It would have driven anyone mad. But most notably he couldn't imagine his life without his apprentice by his side, encouraging him, building him up, and standing up for him when even he didn't deem himself worthy.
No, she'd say, you're a great sorcerer, Mr. Cedric! I feel like we have this talk almost every day now! So for once, just believe me!
He did. He did believe her. She'd seen something in him that no one else ever had. And it was with that boost of confidence that he was able to become better than he'd ever hoped to be.
No, he was no Goodwyn the Great. No, he wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. No, his spells weren't flawless, and likely never would be. After all, magic was tricky if not dangerous.
But in the grand scheme of things, did perfection really matter when he had the encouragement and adoration of a princess who saw the best in him? Who saved him from himself? Who gave him a second chance? And if given the opportunity, would he change the way things occurred in his past, fix his mistakes, and try again, even if it meant never encountering the one person who gave him hope for a better tomorrow?
No.
The end