Namely
Summary: Sofia is clearly exhausted one evening but insists on spending time with Cedric. In her state of delirium, she begins over-contemplating the sound and meaning of words, including Cedric's name, much to his amusement.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show or characters.
A/N: Okay, so I've been gone a lot recently. Lol. I know! With the end of the school year, things have been rather crazy. I know all about exhaustion, and my teacher friends and I look like zombies walking around the school right now… So naturally, I decided to incorporate some of that into this story. :D Some of the conversations in here were inspired by real-life conversations we've had! Besides, I think we have all gotten to this point, where words start sounding strange and we must keep repeating them to remember what they mean. Poor Sofia needs more sleep, just like the rest of us. Lol. Enjoy!
*Story*
"Mm," Sofia mumbled tiredly one evening as she sat at the table across from Cedric, who was busy labeling some of his small bottles. She inhaled once and slowly sighed as her hand tightened around the quill she was holding. Soon enough, though, her grip loosened, causing it to fall to the floor while her head slowly started to loll forward, and her eyes began to close.
"Sofia."
"Huh?" Her eyes snapped open again, though she obviously didn't seem to be fully attentive. "Wh-What's wrong, Mr. Cedric?"
Cedric frowned at the distant tone of her voice. She didn't seem to be focused on anything at that point, and he was a bit concerned. "What's wrong? You're obviously exhausted and nearly falling asleep. If you stay here, I'm afraid you'll fall and hurt yourself."
Sofia giggled distractedly and waved one hand dismissively. "I'm fine, Mr. Cedric…" She frowned pensively for a moment.
The sorcerer sat across from her and observed the girl's expression. "What is it?"
"Your name is really weird," she announced with a grin.
"Considering it took you an entire year to get it correct, I could tell you had some mental block against it from the beginning," he teased with a smirk. "But do tell. How exactly is my name 'weird?'"
"Cedric… Ce-dric…" She blinked a few times before shaking her head. "I can't tell if your name sounds like it should belong to a duke or to a butler." She laughed. "Like Jeeves, for example."
Cedric folded his arms and gave his apprentice a pointed stare. "Very funny, Sofia."
"Cedric," Sofia began with a haughty lilt to her voice, "fetch me some tea! Yep! You should've been a butler, Mr. Cedric." With that, she fell into giggles again.
"Perhaps you should get some sleep," he suggested with a roll of his eyes. "I can't see us having a successful and productive lesson when your mind is this muddled right now."
"Muddle…" Sofia snickered. "Sounds like puddle, and those can be muddy." She gasped sharply, causing Cedric to jump. "I get it! Ha, good one, Mr. Cedric!"
Cedric blinked a few times before shrugging. He might as well just go along with her at this point. She clearly was tired, but he also knew how stubborn she was. Even if he told her yet again that she needed sleep, she wouldn't do it unless she absolutely wanted to. "Thank you, my dear."
"Why do you call me that?" the princess asked curiously as she leaned forward, her face resting in her propped hands.
He frowned. "Call you what?"
"'My dear.' I don't hear you calling anyone else that. Calista, Amber, Dad, Baileywick…" She grinned as he began chuckling.
"Well, aside from the strange looks your father and Baileywick would give me, I suppose… Mm…" Oh, sure. She chose during her evident bout of exhaustion to start asking the deep questions. "Well, your sister and I are not that close, though we're better in terms of communication. And I'm not sure why I don't call Calista that… I suppose it's…a term of endearment I've reserved for…"
Sofia smiled fondly. "For me."
"Right…"
"Your favorite," she added, causing him to laugh.
"Well, I can't deny that I quite enjoy our friendship, Sofia. But enough about that. I really think you should get some rest." He saw her nod with a yawn and prepared to help her clean up her materials when she began speaking again, much to his dismay (and secret amusement).
"I heard about this fish the other day… They call it a humu—uh… Humunah-kapa-something fish."
Cedric laughed. "I believe you are referring to the Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa fish—or some people simply call it a reef triggerfish."
Sofia gaped at him in awe, her mouth dropping. "You can say that huge word, but sometimes spells are hard for you?" She grinned as he seemed a bit agitated by that comment. "You're weird, Mr. Cedric."
"I get it. My name is weird. I'm weird. My pronunciation knowledge is weird—"
"But you're also really amazing," she interjected with a gentle tone. "And funny, and nice, and you always smell like magic and cookies." She giggled.
"I do?" Curious, he lifted the sleeve of his robe and gently inhaled the scent, and his eyes widened. "I suppose I do…though I'm not sure why I'd smell like cookies…"
"Because you're sweet too," Sofia affirmed with a drowsy smile.
Cedric laughed sheepishly. "Thanks, Sofia…" He stood as he saw her eyes starting to close once again, her form slumping a bit in the chair. "Come along, Sofia. Like it or not, you really need to get some sleep." He gingerly picked her up and smiled fondly as she instantly relaxed and leaned her head against his chest. He opened the door to the workshop and stepped out, beginning the descent down the stairs.
"Mr. Cedric…"
"Yes, Sofia?" He finished the last steps of the spiral staircase as he held the princess protectively, intent on maintaining her safety as they travelled.
"There are a lot of words in the world." She smiled mysteriously as he glanced at her briefly. "You want to know my favorite word?"
Cedric chuckled as he continued walking. "Very well. What is it?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper, like it was a secret between them. "Magic."
"Really? Why is that?" He wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to know, but since she brought it up, he might as well find out. It wasn't long before they reached the door to her room, and he nudged the doorknob to open it and carry the girl inside.
"Well, I like magic. Magic is fun and useful, and it makes the ordinary seem…extraordinary." She smiled thoughtfully as he lowered her onto her bed and began tucking her in. "But that's not all…" She gently grasped his hands, causing him to pause. "I really like magic because of you, Mr. Cedric," she proclaimed softly, a serene smile on her face.
"M-Me?"
"You have taught me a lot these last few years, and you've helped me out so many times. And all of it began with magic… You are magic, Mr. Cedric. So, I guess that makes you extra-extraordinary." She giggled happily.
Cedric smiled appreciatively before gently patting her hand with his own. "You're very kind to say so." He removed the tiara from her hair and set it on the bedside table before looking back at her. "Sleep well, my dear." He caught himself laughing inwardly. Now, he was sure that he was going to recall their conversation about that 'title' every time he said it.
"You too, Mr. Cedric." She suddenly smiled brightly and grabbed his hand again. "I changed my mind. 'Magic' is my second favorite word. 'Mr. Cedric' is my first." She beamed. "Because there's plenty of magic in the world, but there's only one Mr. Cedric."
Cedric felt his heart warm at the kind words of his apprentice. Sure, she was obviously exhausted, but those words still meant a great deal to him. In fact, from his experience, people tended to tell the truth when they were really tired, so…how could he fault that? "You're very kind, Sofia. Now get some rest." He gently caressed her hair until she fell asleep, which didn't take that long at all.
Satisfied that the princess was secure, he turned and left her room, shutting the door behind him before heading back to his tower. Words… That's what their whole conversation had turned to tonight: words. He used them everyday to express feelings, to call names, to recite spells… She used them as well, and to think her favorite was his name… Cedric smiled, remembering her words to him before drifting off: '…there's plenty of magic in the world, but there's only one Mr. Cedric.' With a happy chuckle, he retired to his tower for the evening, his mind peaceful and his rest easy for a change.
The end