Gestures

Summary: Cedric recounts a medley of simple gestures from Sofia that have changed his life for the better.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing!

A/N: So… *sigh* I just saw the full (for now) description of "Forever Royal," and I now know for certain (unless stated otherwise) that Sofia the First will end September 8. You guys, I'm feeling so many things right now: happy, sad, bittersweet, uncertain, curious, excited… Just, the list goes on. STF has been a HUGE part of my life for the last four and a half years, and it means SO much to me. I don't know how I'll be able to let it go. I hope this finale does the entire series justice. I hope we get answers to at least most of our questions. I hope we see some epic scenes, and I truly hope to see plenty of bonding together out of pure desire to overcome adversity, which is what Sofia does best. 😊 With that being said, it's going to take me time to process this, but now that I know for sure the path that this show is going to take, I'm going to present a question to you all, since my readers are the reason I'm even still here writing for this show after all this time. 😉 Even though my big story "Adventures in Magic" is supposed to take place two years after the show's official ending and in the summertime, is anyone opposed to me beginning to release chapters sometime in the fall of this year? I'm a weirdo who wanted to write and release the story in the actual summertime, but, eh. Lol. I'll see what people say in the reviews, but I'm also going to put a poll on my profile at some point, so keep an eye out for that. (Granted, the fact that it's summer in the story doesn't affect the content of the story, but still. :p You know me. I'm perfectly fine writing and releasing it anytime). Anyway! Enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoy the story! 😊 "All Aboard" will be written and released within the next week or so, and it will either be a long one-shot or a chapter story. Still debating on that… *shrugs* Enjoy!

Warning: Fluffy, sappy, sweet alert!

*Story*

Smiles

You know, smiles are strange things, when you really think about it. Normally, one would expect a smile to be a positive thing, and a vast majority of the time, it is. However, for me, when I was growing up, smiles were often forced—a way to mask the obvious pain that I felt when others would make fun of me or berate me, thereby utterly destroying my self-confidence. The few times I chanced a real smile, I'd always lose it nearly instantly when yet another event went wrong, or when yet another mishap was blamed on me (regardless of whether or not that was the case). Ultimately, I opted for sneers and smirks over smiles.

Unlike smiles, the sneers and smirks typically related to the wicked side of the fence. During my own plotting for taking over the kingdom, and with that goal of victory burned in my mind, one or the other never left my lips.

However… That all changed when I met Sofia. She gave me a genuine smile when she first met me (well, if you count crashing into one another 'meeting,' yet I digress). Hers was a look of awe and enchantment: the pure, innocent amazement of being in the presence of someone who knew the ins and outs of magic. It was every young girl's dream to have a source of magic at her very finger tips. The fact that I—Cedric, reclusive and unapproachable—was the reason for her smile honestly baffled me beyond belief.

How could this child—this sweet, curious, naïve child—actually look at me and see something wonderful? Something fascinating? Magic… All right, sure, magic is delightful. I love being able to use it, study it, and perfect it. It's part of me, for Merlin's sake. But I was absolutely the last person who would have expected a smile from her—especially when I knew quite well that I didn't deserve it.

I'll never understand what she saw in me when she first met me. The flower trick I performed (with clear setback) was one that she described as 'ah-mazing.' I wrote off the compliment at the time, because I quite honestly found her cheerful demeanor rather annoying. You must understand: I was used to being alone, to having every move and flick of the wand criticized, to not having the fortune of knowing what real friendship was like.

Yet, that one smile started our very unique friendship, and even though she grated on my nerves for the first few months, I must admit that I eventually came to value and even crave her praise and companionship. That being said, I'll never forgive myself—even if she has—for when that pure, kind smile instantly dropped from her face after she learned of my betrayal.

I swear, I don't think my heart had ever beaten so hard before. My nerves had never been so bad. My stomach had never been in such awful knots. It was ruddy awful to see Sofia's smile change to a disappointed frown. And that's the thing, right? I could have handled it if she'd said she hated me, because who wouldn't hate someone who'd been lying to them and trying to use them for their ability to aid in a kingdom takeover all those years? No, what I couldn't handle was knowing that…she was disappointed. You may think it strange for me to say that, but in my opinion, disappointing someone you've truly come to care about and form a strong bond with is far worse than hearing that someone hates you. Because even if she had said that, I'd know it wasn't true. Sofia doesn't hate. She's too good for that. But disappointment is an entirely different animal, and she absolutely felt it when she learned what I'd done.

Still, despite her disappointment, she got through to my thick skull. She forgave me and accepted that I'm human and I have made egregious mistakes. She stood up to her father for me and pled my case, something I never believed anyone would ever do.

And after all was said and done, after we'd talked things out and become truly close friends, after everything… She still smiled at me, encouraging me to return the gesture. And that, my friends, is worth every heartache, every trial and error, every painful insult I've ever endured. Sofia's smiles are incomparable, and I'm glad she often shares them with me.

Praises

Perhaps one of the best things about Sofia is her ability to cheer me up. Even if I'm at my lowest, she can pull me out of my slump far quicker than anyone else. How does she do so, you may wonder?

Believe it or not, merely talking with the princess makes my spirits brighter. Eventually, I manage to come around from my self-pitying doldrums and rejoin my apprentice in everyday life. Not to sound prideful, but one of my favorite things about our talks is when she offers me some praise.

Don't misunderstand. I know I'm not always going to do well at everything, and I'm extremely far from 'perfect,' but…a little praise goes a long way. Sofia's wonderful at that. 'Great job, Mr. Cedric!' 'You can do it, Mr. Cedric! I believe in you!' 'Oh, Mr. Cedric! That's amazing!' 'You're the best, Mr. Cedric!' These words may sound trivial and empty to some, but they mean everything to me.

Growing up, especially after 'the incident' with Cordelia's hair, I wasn't exactly prone to receiving any compliments. The best I ever got was, 'Well, at least you didn't royally mess up this time.' How charming, right? And people wonder why I have issues trusting others?

Sofia's not like anyone else, though. While I considered the dear girl a nuisance upon first meeting her, I soon came to realize that she's nothing of the sort. She honestly and sincerely just wants to help others be the best they can be. If that means giving them praises and compliments, so be it. And luckily for me, I was often on the receiving end.

My confidence has since been restored, and I will never be able to thank the kind-hearted princess enough. Anyone who can melt a cold, callous, icy shell like mine with just a few kind words deserves the highest praise of all.

Habits

Do you ever find that when you've spent a lot of time with someone, you start picking up on their habits? I mean, it could be sayings, hand gestures, nervous motions, or anything really.

Sofia and I have a habit of paralleling each other, I've noticed. We'll often react similarly to situations: gasping in surprise, smiling uncertainly at a radical situation, exchanging knowing glances, and so on. I'm going to assume that it's because we're so in tune with each other at this point that we've started thinking alike.

How else are we alike? She holds her wand the same way I do. She issues commands with clarity, like I've tried to teach her. She makes the same little facial movements I do sometimes, which is admittedly amusing to me. She folds her arms when in deep thought—the same as I do.

A lot of my habits have now become Sofia's, and I just think it's fascinating. I also think it's rather flattering, because I view that as a form of respect. The fact that she spends so much time with me, practicing spells or simply talking, and then, the fact that she is starting to act a bit more like me? It's quite amazing how much our personalities have meshed together so well.

Dances

You don't see it very often, but any time there's a ball preparation, or any time upbeat music is playing, Sofia wants to dance. She's a very spirited girl with a gift for finding the beat and demonstrating her rhythm.

I am not.

However, for whatever reason, I still sometimes find myself pulled into a dance with her. Some are fast-paced and require much precision, and others are slower with more time to focus on what we're doing. Don't tell anyone I'm saying this, but I quite like dancing. My mother used to teach Cordelia and me some dances when we were younger, and I picked up on them far quicker and easier than my dear sister. I just can't let Sofia know that, or she'd always have me dancing in front of people, and we can't have that.

I'll never forget an incident that occurred about a year or two ago. For weeks, Sofia had been looking forward to a party her father was throwing. She had every intention of dancing at it, and I was almost certain she was going to ask me to dance with her yet again. However, she slipped down the steps to the castle and twisted her ankle, and she was unable to walk by the time the party came around.

That was probably one of her sadder times, I think. I'm not used to seeing Sofia just sulk and be unhappy, so when it does happen, I always feel like I want to do something to fix it. I can't have an unhappy apprentice…or friend.

So, while she had her leg in a cast and still dressed in her party dress for the occasion, I opted to cheer her up and give her what she wanted: a dance. And how? I enchanted a plush cushion from one of the sofas and had her sit on it. While she quite literally floated midair, I asked her to 'dance.' The look on her face was priceless. She lit up like a lamp in the darkness, and we danced despite her injury—our hands clasped together while she hovered above the ground with the aid of that cushion, a smile on her face and excitement in her heart.

Hands

I assume it's no secret to anyone that I'm generally not a touchy-feely person. I'm an introvert by nature and prefer to keep to myself. However, there are still times when I feel down and need some encouragement, or when I like to have some simple form of companionship or friendship, and so on.

That's where Sofia comes in, yet again. She'll reach for my hand to pull me along on another journey—big or small. She'll clasp my hands with hers if she sees that I'm upset or worried. She'll sometimes even hold my hand for no reason when we head along to our next destination. It's such a simple gesture, but it still holds so much meaning.

I had to get used to holding hands with someone. Cordelia didn't exactly do very much of that after her failed presentation, and since I was such a recluse, no one else ever dared to try holding my hand. Sofia? Of course, she had no problem with it.

I'll never forget when she was much younger, not long after arriving to the castle, when she inquired about my gloves. I'm not sure why she was so drawn to them, but I often found my hand clasped in hers as she observed the brown leather. It was such an innocent inquiry that hardly meant a thing to anyone else, but the fact that she even bothered to take an interest in something of mine meant a lot—even something as trivial as my gloves.

Lately, she's taken to grabbing my arm, my wrist, my sleeve, and still my hand to drag me off in a hurry. Half the time, we're not even going anywhere special: just to the kitchen or to my workshop. But if we're ever in any dangerous situation, it's like I see this instant instinct click inside of her—a protective instinct—and she pulls me along…I guess to keep me safe. Did I mention how considerate my apprentice is?

Hugs

Perhaps my most common form of contact with Sofia is hugging. She began hugging me randomly not long after arriving at the castle. It floored me the first time she did so. I've mentioned several times at this point that I wasn't always used to a lot of human contact, and definitely nothing of the friendly sort. She would wrap her arms around me and give me a sincere, firm, yet gentle hug.

At first, I had always pushed her away. I know, I know. Bad Cedric. How could you treat someone like Sofia in such an awful way? Easy. I wasn't a very nice guy, due to my circumstances and goal at the time. And let's not forget that she was the keeper of the Amulet of Avalor, which was something I had my sights set on. If I willingly accepted her hugs, then that would mean accepting her friendship, and at the time I couldn't care less about either. All I wanted was revenge and the kingdom.

But… She eventually melted my stone-cold exterior, and I stopped pushing her away. Each hug was always brisk and sincere, and I'd even sometimes find myself wanting to return them, which was strange. I don't even hug my mother that often, and here I was, wanting to hug the youngest Enchancian princess. Honestly, I firmly believe that it's because she showed me affection and consideration, and because I genuinely liked the girl. I liked her positivity and outlook on life, even if I didn't always share it. I liked her spirit. I liked her zeal and gumption. And I just liked her. There was no one else like Sofia, and I can definitively say now that there never will be.

And so, I eventually started hugging her back. It may not have been as enthusiastic as hers, but it was something. And Sofia seemed to respond affirmatively, so as far as I'm concerned, that's just as well.

It actually felt good to share a hug with someone after being an outcast for so long. Hugs are reserved for friends, family…people you care about and who care about you. Receiving a hug from Sofia was like receiving a hug from a warm, happy, pleasant cloud of sunshine and rainbows most of the time. Of course, she also hugged me to comfort me if I was feeling down or upset about something, and those hugs were actually my favorites… They meant more, because she went out of her way to see to my wellbeing. What more could I ask for?

Forgiveness

Perhaps the most meaningful gesture that I've ever received from Sofia is her forgiveness. It goes without saying that I obviously finally snapped one day and tried to make all my old goals and dreams come true. It backfired and blew up in my face, of course, like I should have seen coming all along.

What was I thinking, listening to Wormwood and Grimtrix of all people? My goals had changed. My heart had changed. I had started getting more respect and appreciation from the Enchancian family and others, and I nearly blew it on pride and arrogance, and a moment of weakness.

Thankfully, Sofia talked some sense into me and saved me from myself. I felt awful for putting her through that though. I never meant for her to discover my dark secret, but I'm now glad she did. I've come to realize that harboring secrets when you're supposed to be close friends isn't always healthy or safe. I keep nothing from her now, because I couldn't stand disappointing her or breaking that confidence we share again.

I'm just glad she took a chance on me, even when I didn't feel I deserved it. Sometimes I still wonder, 'Why me?' Why not Baileywick? Why not another castle worker? Why not anyone else in Enchancia? But no. She chose me… To be her friend, her confidant, her mentor, and—in our own way—her family. I'm extremely honored that Sofia forgave my troubled actions and saw through everything to who I am on the inside.

It's because of Sofia that I am still here today, doing what I love and working as hard as I do. I've found a new purpose: to make the most out of every possible situation. I never know what life is going to throw at me, but because of one princess's kindness, affection, forgiveness, and persistence, I'm able to say that I'm happy with who I am. I will never regress to my old ways of self-fulfilling plots and plans. I will keep my eyes open and my mind clear, and with the help of my closest and dearest friend beside me, I'll go on in life, happily.

And it's all because Sofia offered me one simple, unassuming, innocent gesture in the beginning that altered my thinking and paved the way for my journey to becoming who I was meant to be.

And what's that gesture, you ask? What else?

Love.

The end