Teacher Crush
Summary: A visiting royal sorcerer from another kingdom seems to have captivated Sofia's attention, much to Cedric's chagrin. Though he tries to redirect her attention to more important matters, he doesn't seem to have much success, and he's had about enough of her gushing over the other sorcerer, whom he doesn't completely trust anyway.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
A/N: Thanks once more to MarionetteJ2X for the idea as well as the layout for this story. She produced images for the OC you'll meet in here, and the whole idea is just something I thought would be absolutely hilarious if not super fun and sweet at the same time. Hope you all enjoy!
Warning: Super fluffy! Not even joking. Lol!
*Story*
"Where did you get this new outfit?" Cedric wondered as the lesson he'd been working on with her had drawn to a close.
Sofia smiled sheepishly as she glanced at her new dress. It was a bit different from usual: just below knee-length royal purple with two thin stripes of light purple toward the bottom, as well as a thicker strip of light purple fabric that encircled her around her shoulders at the top. She also chose to style her hair in a ponytail today, as she felt it offset the outfit better. "It's something Amber and I worked on. Do you like it?"
He nodded with a sleepy smile. "It looks nice on you."
"Thanks!" She giggled.
"And with that, my dear," Cedric announced with a yawn as he shut a book and used his wand to shelve it, "I believe we're done for the day."
"Are you tired already?" Sofia asked as she grinned. "Mr. Cedric, please tell me you're getting to bed at a decent hour."
"He most certainly is not," Wormwood complained as he accusingly gestured one wing toward Cedric. "He keeps me up most nights muttering about random things when both of us should be sleeping."
Cedric shot his raven a pointed glare before turning back to see the princess looking worriedly at him. He offered her a comforting smile as he reached over and patted her hand. "I appreciate the concern, Sofia, but I'm quite all right. Wormy is just overreacting." He folded his hands together against the table as Sofia's worries seemed to be alleviated. "Besides, some of my best work is done at night, and Wormwood the Worrywart just doesn't understand that." He grinned as the raven squawked in agitation.
"Use all the monikers you like, but some of us actually enjoy sleeping at night."
Sofia laughed at the exchange. "Sounds like that's a discussion I'll have to let you two sort out."
The trio turned toward the door as they heard a knock, and Cedric called for the person to enter.
Baileywick pushed the door open and glanced toward the friends. "Cedric… Oh, Princess Sofia, I thought I might find you here. You're both needed in the throne room. King Roland has requested to see both of you."
Cedric's face fell slightly. "Am I…in trouble?"
"You? Maybe. You and Sofia together? …Well, I wouldn't rule it out…" He chuckled at their confused reactions. "I doubt it. Just go see what he needs. I'm off." He turned and shut the door, leaving them behind.
"Come along then, Sofia." Cedric stood from his spot and loosely folded his arms, his hands nervously rubbing his forearms. "I wonder what's going on."
The princess just smiled and gently grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the door. "Only one way to find out."
Wormwood sighed and flew after them, alighting onto Cedric's left shoulder. "This should be good," he muttered into Cedric's ear, snickering as his master shushed him instantly.
Once in the throne room, the friends stopped before Roland, who seemed to be speaking to a blonde man. Neither could tell much about him since he was faced away from them, except he had a blue cloak draped over his shoulders and dark boots and slacks.
"Ah, just the two I wanted to see," the king stated with a satisfied smile as he approached them, causing the unknown man to slightly shift. "Cedric, Sofia, this is Daniel the Determined—a visiting Royal Sorcerer from the Kingdom of Azura."
"Royal…Sorcerer?" Cedric asked, confused.
Sofia watched as the blonde man turned around. Upon observing him, she realized he seemed to be probably in his twenties. His forest green eyes watched her curiously. He was fair-skinned and dressed in a pretty well-coordinated outfit: dark boots and slacks, a long royal blue tunic robe fastened by a lighter blue belt, and of course the sweeping navy cape held across his shoulders with a gold chain. 'This guy sure likes blue,' she thought in amusement. 'Huh. He doesn't look like a sorcerer… He kind of looks like a prince.' She shrugged off the thought as the king spoke.
"Daniel, allow me to introduce my daughter Princess Sofia and her mentor and our Royal Sorcerer Cedric the Sensational."
Daniel gasped in surprise. "Cedric the Sensational?" he repeated in awe. "I've heard of you…" He grinned as Cedric smiled proudly. "You don't look anything like I thought you would."
Cedric's eye twitched at the comment. Just what was that supposed to mean? "I beg your pardon?"
"Oh, no, no. Don't take it the wrong way. I just meant, eh… Ahem." He smiled sheepishly as he realized the other sorcerer did not look amused. "Anyway, my purpose is to study everything magic, though I'm still sort of a newbie at this whole 'royal sorcerer' thing. Granted, I've done my fair share of learning and teaching and enjoy nothing more than teaching royals how to properly utilize magic, but I have been traveling from kingdom to kingdom in order to observe how other royal sorcerers use their own magic."
Sofia beamed at the very mention of one of her favorite past times. "Oh, wow! I love magic myself. It's kind of my forte since I have Mr. Cedric to help me."
Daniel smiled down at the young girl. "I'm pleased to hear that someone shares my enthusiasm for magic." He reached into his sleeve and withdrew his wand, conjuring a small white rose, much to Sofia's delight. He inhaled its scent briefly before stepping forward and leaning down, tucking the flower behind the girl's ear.
Sofia blushed as she was caught off guard by the gift. "Um, th-thank you, Mr. Daniel…"
He chuckled. "Just call me Daniel. I'm not old enough to be a 'mister' yet."
Sofia giggled. "Okay, Daniel."
Meanwhile, while Sofia and Daniel were in deep conversation, Cedric stood off to the side with his arms folded and his eyes glaring daggers at the young man. It wasn't necessarily that he was upset that Sofia liked talking to someone different for a change. Not at all! It's just that she was paying more attention to another magic wielder and gushing over his magic instead of her best friend's. And… "There's something not quite right about this," he mumbled quietly to Wormwood, who snickered.
"I'll say. Could you be any more jealous?"
Cedric grumbled in annoyance and swatted at the raven. "I'm not jealous, and I wasn't talking about that anyway. I'm talking about that atrocity of a young man who calls himself a 'royal sorcerer.'" He shook his head. "I'm not buying it. There's something off about him."
"If you say so, Cedric." Wormwood rolled his eyes.
"So," Roland announced, stirring the Enchancian Royal Sorcerer and his companion out of their private conversation, "as Daniel is traveling from one kingdom to another to study and practice his magic, I feel it would be appropriate for us to accommodate him for a few days."
"Oh, yay!" Sofia cheered with a bright smile. "It will be awesome having two royal sorcerers in Enchancia!"
Cedric scoffed. "One royal sorcerer and one imitation."
"What was that, Cedric?" Roland asked as he turned to him.
The sorcerer laughed nervously and waved his hands. "N-Nothing, Your Majesty!"
"Smooth," Wormwood remarked while snickering.
The next day, Cedric sat at his table, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface. Wormwood was eyeing him curiously from his perch, but he didn't care. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair before glancing at his feathered friend. "She's not coming, is she?"
"It's been two hours, Cedric," Wormwood responded. "I think it's safe to say she either forgot or is avoiding you altogether." He smirked when the sorcerer grew rather irritated at the second suggestion.
"She never forgets our lessons, and she wouldn't avoid me. She has no reason to. I… Oh, wait. Daniel." He scoffed. "What a childish name for a royal sorcerer. 'Daniel the Determined.' Oh, yes, that's fascinating. I'm sure scholarly wizards will be quaking in their boots when they see his rose tricks and fancy-schmancy cape." He huffed and frowned when he heard laughter. He glared at the bird who was now nearly falling off his perch since he was guffawing. "WHAT?!"
"You… You are SO JEALOUS!" Wormwood couldn't contain himself and fell off his perch and onto the floor, but he just kept laughing. "Oh, Merlin, this is hilarious!"
"I am NOT jealous, Wormy! I'm concerned!" He folded his arms and pouted.
"Yes! That some other sorcerer—younger, better looking, more charming—has taken your place! 'Oh, no, not my best friend! She's only supposed to look enthused when I do magic!'"
Cedric growled and grabbed his wand, shooting a spark of harmless magic at his companion, who easily dodged it and flew up to settle in front of him.
"Admit it, Cedric. You can't stand that Sofia is interested in someone else's magic and sorcery. It just eats you up inside."
He stared at the bird before looking away. "She is the only one who sees me for who I am, and then to have this quaffed little sunshine-headed child-sorcerer waltz in here and capture her attention with a stupid rose is so…stupid!"
Both friends paused in silence when they heard the familiar knock at the door.
"Sofia!" Cedric gasped as he rushed to the door.
"Can you try not seeming rather desperate for a change?" Wormwood drawled with dripping amused sarcasm. He yelped and ducked as another blast of magic came barreling his way. "Watch where you're pointing that thing!"
The sorcerer smirked at him. "I was." He turned and collected himself before opening the door and smiling enthusiastically. "Sofia, my d—" He paused and blinked when he saw not only his apprentice but also Daniel the Determined standing directly behind her. "What is he doing here?"
Sofia obviously missed the irritated tone in her friend's voice as she beamed at him. "Mr. Cedric, Daniel just showed me some of the coolest magic ever." She grabbed Daniel's hand and hauled him inside, even urging him to sit in Cedric's usual chair, which did not go unnoticed by the Enchancian Royal Sorcerer. (Cue eye twitch again.) "Show Mr. Cedric your tornado magic!"
"Can we not?" Wormwood asked, getting everyone's attention. "This workshop is already a mess 70% of the time; encouraging a tornado is just a recipe for disaster."
The princess laughed. "It's not a real tornado, Wormwood. It's just a contained mini one. I promise it won't cause any damage."
Hearing no further objections, Daniel lifted his wand and pointed toward the center of the table. "Parva Twister!" He grinned as a swirling mini tornado appeared in the middle of the table, simply rotating like all tornadoes do.
"Marvelous," Cedric deadpanned with a roll of his eyes. "Tell me, did they teach you that in your sorcery school?"
This time, Sofia didn't miss his sarcastic quip, and she turned to give her friend a disapproving look.
"Actually, my friend taught me that," Daniel declared with a sheepish smile. "I always liked weather, so he showed me how to make it." He glanced at his pocket watch and then looked back at the princess. "Weren't we supposed to have tea, Sofia?"
"Oh, yeah! With Amber, actually. We'd better hurry, or she'll get upset if we're late." She laughed as Daniel stood up and walked toward the door, standing just outside of it. She glanced back at her mentor. "Mr. Cedric, are you okay?"
Cedric blinked at the question before shrugging and glancing away. "I'm fine. You just missed our lessons today, and I waited two hours for you is all."
She gasped. "Oh, my goodness, Mr. Cedric! I'm so sorry… I just…" She sighed. "Daniel and I got caught up talking and practicing magic together. He taught me a lot of neat…things." She realized what she was saying seemed to be weighing heavier on her friend, and while he looked hurt he also looked sort of…mad? Though she wasn't sure why. She smiled gently and placed one hand on his arm in comfort. "Look, he's leaving tomorrow, and you and I see each other all the time. I just want to spend some time with him to help him out with his quest."
"But Sofia, there's something not quite right about—"
"Sofia, you coming?" Daniel's voice called outside the door.
"Yeah! I'm on my way!" She looked back at her friend. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric. Things will be back to normal soon. I promise." She smiled sweetly before turning and rushing out of the workshop to meet her new friend.
"UGH!" Cedric huffed in aggravation. "Am I the only one who sees something isn't right with that boy?!"
"Forget him," Wormwood declared. "He isn't worth getting all uselessly discontented."
"Don't use multisyllabic words against me when I'm upset," Cedric snapped as he grabbed his wand. "I'm going to prove once and for all that this guy is not who he says he is. I don't trust him, and I don't want him around my apprentice."
"What are you going to do? Spy on him?"
The sorcerer sighed and answered bravely, "If I must."
Wormwood smirked and flew up to his master's shoulder. "This I've got to see."
Outside under the gazebo, Sofia, Amber, and Daniel all sat around the table and were sharing some tea and cookies and chatting. Unbeknownst to them, Cedric and Wormwood were hiding behind a tree nearby, watching and waiting.
"…So I was thinking," Daniel said as he finished sipping his tea, "maybe I could put on a magic show for your family tomorrow before I leave."
Sofia gasped and smiled. "I think that's a great idea!" she gushed.
"Of course she does," Cedric mumbled under his breath. "Anything Daniel the Dingbat says is a 'great idea.'"
Wormwood rolled his eyes.
"In fact, I can help you with the show, if you want," the younger princess added. "I've helped Mr. Cedric with a lot of them in the past."
Amber snickered. "Although one time she got turned into a lizard."
"Sounds like Cedric the Sensational has his own share of mishaps, eh?" Daniel asked with a gentle tone.
Cedric growled, clutching his wand tighter. "I'll show him 'mishaps.'"
"Cedric, shush," Wormwood snapped with one wing slapped over his master's mouth. "Do you want them to hear you?"
"He's made some mistakes, but overall he's an amazing sorcerer," Sofia defended with a gentle smile.
Cedric finally smiled despite Wormwood's wing over his mouth. Now that was more like it!
"Awesome! So he won't mind if I steal you again tomorrow so you can help me out with this magic show?" Daniel inquired with a playful grin.
Amber watched the exchange between her sister and the new sorcerer and rolled her eyes. It was almost as if Sofia had developed some childish crush on this sorcerer; not that she could blame her, considering he was pretty attractive, intelligent, and magical.
Sofia started to nod before pausing. "Oh, well… See, Mr. Cedric reminded me today that I didn't show up for my lessons, and I kind of felt bad about that…" She sighed. "But you are only here one more day, so I'm sure he won't mind!" She smiled brightly.
Having heard enough, Cedric pried Wormwood from his face and stormed off toward the castle. "I can't believe she's choosing him over me…again!" he confided to Wormwood once they'd reached his workshop once more.
"I don't understand why you dislike him so much," Wormwood admitted. "I don't sense anything wrong with him, and yet you're just angry at him for no reason—other than the fact that he's taken away your precious princess for a few days." He rolled his eyes. "Surprising news, Cedric: you'll survive!"
"It's not that, Wormy! You don't get it! It's not necessarily that I don't like him (which I don't, but that's besides the point); I don't trust him. There's something strange about him."
"Yes, well, right now, there's something strange about you. You need to take this jealousy down a few levels."
"I am not jealous!"
The raven gave his friend a pointed look. "Mocking him, belittling him, comparing yourself with him, calling him names… You're jealous. End of story. You hate having Sofia's attention on anyone but you. She's unwittingly created an egomaniacal sorcerer by constantly telling you how wonderful you are."
"That's rich, coming from the biggest egomaniac raven I've ever met." He huffed yet again before slamming his hands on his table, startling his companion. "I've had it, Wormy. The figurative gloves are off." He looked toward the bird. "Tomorrow, we prove once and for all that Daniel the Delinquent is hiding something."
"Daniel the Determined," Wormwood corrected with an amused smirk.
"I like my title better!"
The next day was Daniel's final day in Enchancia. He spent most of the morning with Sofia, practicing for his upcoming magic show. He enjoyed spending time with the princess, because she encouraged him like he'd never experienced before. Although he did notice that her mentor was giving him the evil eye every time they crossed paths…
"Daniel, are you ready?" Sofia asked with a gentle tug on his sleeve.
"Huh? Oh, y-yes! Let's get this show started!" He cleared his throat as he looked out at his audience: the royal family of Enchancia (minus Sofia, of course), Baileywick, and Cedric…who still stared at him with a pointed gaze. 'He knows something,' he thought nervously with a gulp. He laughed apprehensively before gesturing grandly. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Daniel the Determined's one and only Magic Extravaganza!"
"What a ridiculous title," Cedric mumbled to Wormwood, who snickered yet again.
"I'd like to thank my kind assistant, Princess Sofia, for volunteering to help me today." He smiled as she curtsied. "I couldn't have done it without her."
Sofia giggled.
"For our first trick…"
The demonstration carried on for several minutes before a few guards interrupted.
"Your Majesty," one announced as he walked forward with an older man dressed in a long blue robe and a wizard hat. "Allow me to introduce Earl the Earnest…"
The old man seemed to be panting, as if he'd been hurrying to get to King Roland. "Yes," he breathed before catching his breath. "I'm Earl the Earnest—the Royal Sorcerer of Azura."
Daniel froze in his spot. "Uh-oh," he uttered, his face paling.
Sofia frowned in confusion as she looked between the two men. "You're the royal sorcerer? But… Daniel? What is he talking about?"
Cedric jumped up and pointed. "Ah-hah!" He realized everyone seemed to be staring at him now, but for once he didn't care. He marched toward Daniel, his wand lifted. "I knew something was strange about him. I knew it the moment he arrived. He's deceived us all, and worse, he's deceived Sofia and used her for her kindness."
Sofia jumped between Cedric and Daniel, placing her hands on his arms. "Mr. Cedric, please, don't do anything stupid."
"Protecting you isn't stupid, my dear. Not doing so is."
"I'm afraid there's been a huge misunderstanding," Earl the Earnest announced as he glanced toward Daniel, who'd sunk to the floor in despair of being found out. "This young man is actually Prince Daniel of Azura."
"Prince?!" the others echoed together, each as shocked as the other.
"Prince Daniel, you know better than to impersonate a royal sorcerer. It is shameful to deceive anyone, in particular a royal family that knows no differently—no matter how pure your motives were."
Daniel stood up again and sighed, lowering his head so he wouldn't have to look anyone in the eye. "He's right. I'm so sorry…"
Sofia stepped up to him after she'd made sure Cedric wasn't going to attack the poor boy. "Dan—er, Prince Daniel, I'm not disappointed in you, if that's what you're thinking." She smiled when he lifted his head, confused. "I just want to know why you felt the need to pretend to be a sorcerer."
He sighed and wrung his fingers together. "All my life, I've been fascinated with magic. I've been studying more about it than actually preparing for my princely duties."
"I can vouch for that," the Azuran royal sorcerer sighed. "Ever since he was a young lad, he was always hanging out in my workshop, begging to learn magic."
"Sounds familiar," Wormwood murmured as he nudged Cedric, who folded his arms.
"Anyway," Daniel continued, "I noticed that in the years of my travels, there were many royals who wanted to practice magic just like me, but a lot of kingdoms forbade them from doing so. Therefore, I disguise myself as a royal sorcerer sometimes and travel kingdom to kingdom, secretly teaching royals who were more than happy to learn magic." He smiled thoughtfully as he glanced toward Roland. "Of course, Enchancia is quite a bit different from other lands. You don't ban magic from your children; you encourage it. I'd heard about that, which was why I didn't hesitate in that respect. In fact, I was so thrilled to see that Sofia was enthusiastically pursuing magic on her own and with full permission from such a loving family as well as her own sorcerer mentor."
"Yet you still lied to them," Cedric quipped sharply, though he was starting to understand what had truly transpired.
"Y-Yes, this is true… I couldn't let them know I was Prince Daniel, because if it got back to the others, I could be in trouble…" He gave them a desperate look. "Please forgive me, and please don't tell anyone about this."
After some consideration, the others agreed and forgave him due to the circumstances he'd had to face. Of course, they urged him to be a little more honest and open in the future and still continue his pursuit of magic. Daniel agreed, thrilled with the outcome.
"Oh, wait, before I go…" Daniel waved his wand, causing little wrapped boxes to fall into the royal family members' hands before creating a bouquet of white flowers for Sofia, who blushed. "Thanks for everything." He gently patted her on the head, much to Cedric's annoyance.
"Yes, yes, that's all very good," he remarked pointedly, "so now you can stop patting her."
Daniel smiled sheepishly before shrugging. "I don't suppose you'd like to come along with me and be my apprentice?"
Sofia couldn't help the smile that came to her face when she heard Cedric's audible gasp. "I appreciate it, Prince Daniel, but I'm already Mr. Cedric's apprentice." She turned and gave her friend a gentle look, which calmed him down. "He'd be lost without me."
Amber laughed as she held onto her gift. "She's right. Cedric and Sofia kind of bring out the best in each other."
"I see." Daniel nodded in understanding as he walked toward Earl the Earnest, standing by him. "Keep in touch, little princess. I won't forget you." With a kind smile, he waved to everyone before leaving with his friend.
The royal family departed to see what Daniel had left them for gifts, but Sofia still had an issue to settle. She turned as she watched Cedric slink onto the steps leading up to the family's thrones, exhaustion and relief written all over his face.
The princess walked over to her mentor and tapped him on the shoulder, one hand on her hip and the other gripping the bouquet of flowers as she gave him a knowing smirk.
Cedric glanced up and did a double take at the girl's look. "You, uh…" He then frowned and looked off to the side. "You spent an awful lot of time with that Daniel the Doorknob or whatever his name was."
Sofia grinned. "You are so jealous."
"I am not! I wish everyone would quit saying that!" He blushed as he realized what he'd just admitted and whined as the girl gave him an amused look. "I don't want to talk about it. It's obvious you preferred his company over mine these last few days."
She giggled and patted his head. "Don't worry, Mr. Cedric. No one could ever replace you as my mentor and favorite sorcerer. In fact, now that I think about it, it was really nice that you cared so much about me and wanted to protect me. You can be such a sweet sorcerer when you want to." She tenderly kissed his forehead before hugging him around his neck, now that she could actually reach him easily. She then grinned and stepped back, realizing he was blushing in embarrassment again. "I'll see you later, Mr. Cedric!" With that, she skipped off, humming a happy tune as she did so.
Wormwood grinned as he turned toward the sorcerer. "So, now that you've embarrassed yourself being jealous over a juvenile, can you feed me? I'm rather hungry." He snickered as Cedric seemed to become rather annoyed. Yet, he kept going. "Well! I guess you got what you wanted after all, Cedric the Sensitive."
Cedric growled and aimed his wand at the raven. "Wormwood!" He jumped up.
"Or should I say, 'Cedric the Sweet Sorcerer?'" He flew off cackling as Cedric chased after him.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU BLASTED RAVEN!"
The end