Was a quiet lunch really too much to ask for? For your average castle staff, an eventuful lunch was finding a fly in the soup (hopefully in one's own, rather than a royal's), or that a drink had been knocked over, but no. No, Cedric had… this.
To be fair, though, this all started because he ran out of snacks. Cedric was never leaving his tower during the day, ever again. Food spirited away in the middle of the night, Cedric being like a thief… in the night.
He heard footsteps behind him and the other sorcerer. Merlin's mushrooms, it wasn't over yet.
Maybe if he didn't acknowledge them, maybe it would turn out someone else just happened to be heading in this direction.
"Cedric," came what was clearly Princess Amber's voice behind them.
Cedric walked a little faster.
Amber grunted. "Look what you've done, Hildy. What were you even thinking?" The clicks of the girls' heels sounded harsher and faster than before.
Ignore them. Maybe they'll go away.
"Jealousy is so stupid! Yes I know Sofia liked Glinda, but that only established she likes older women, or perhaps competent sorcerers. We discussed this. He's going to-"
Cedric never found out what Amber was going to finish that with, though to be honest he'd stopped listening by that point. He'd stopped dead in his tracks as he took in Amber's statement.
Sofia...what? Did this mean he...have an actual chance? Though - of course he was competent, how could- Or was Sofia only attracted to women after all? Cedric felt a pang of something he hadn't felt in years. Some people would say he 'counted'. Hopefully Sofia wasn't one of them, that would be rather worse than-
This series of disjointed thoughts was brought to a halt nearly as quickly as Cedric himself had stopped, when Princess Hildegard ran into him from behind, and he tipped forward.
Greylock snickered but didn't say anything, and Cedric shifted his position and realized that the princess had rather landed right on top of him. Little Miss Ice Queen looked rather flushed, though her eyebrows and the force with which she pushed herself off of him and the ground made it quite clear it wasn't embarrassment. Cedric rolled his eyes and stood up, taking a moment to dust himself off as Prissy Pants did the same, if with rather more angry energy.
Well. That happened.
"Cedric," Princess Amber started before the sorcerer was really ready to listen, "You're going to help my friend, Princess Hildegard, and me."
Cedric waited for Amber to elaborate, and asked when she didn't, "Help… you what, exactly?"
"To set Hildegard and Sofia up - she's going to be a student of yours again soon, yes? It's not like there's a whole lot else you can do around here."
"Oh re~ally? And how exactly am I supposed to help your little game of Princess Matchmaker? ...You do realize that love potions don't actually exist, right?."
"What?" Amber blinked. "No, we didn't want that."
It was Cedric's turn to blink. "Well the why the bloody else are you asking me, of all people, for help?"
"Well, she's bound to talk about the rest of her day with you, and in general, during these lessons… right? You're to help us figure out what she likes these days, what, ah, Hildegard could do to gain her affection, and, eh…"
"That's a tall order you're asking of me, and not much I can actually do. I'm just not so sure how well this plan was thought through." He paused for a beat. "And really, Prrrincess Amber, aren't you her sister? You'd be in a better position for that than me, I'd think."
Amber scoffed and replied, "Well, no! I... would be entirely too obvious, what with Hildegard being my- my best friend, and all."
Cedric tilted his head and squinted a bit at Amber. What was with the hesitation? Eh, whatever. "Are you quite sure about that?" he muttered more to himself than anyone else.
Surprisingly, Amber replied. "Of course! It's not like I'd have any other reason to be uncomfortable setting my sister up with my ultra-super-platonic best friend whose happiness is my number one - all right, maybe number two - priority."
Hildegard looked up from her dress-fussing at this. "Number two? Number twooo? What could possibly come before me?"
Amber turned to look at the other princess. "Astronomy," she said, with a blank expression.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Cedric interrupted, "And you-" he nodded towards Hildegard, "you apparently don't even know what she likes, what she thinks about, what to talk to her about. How could you possibly think you know her well enough to woo her?" The irony - or was this just hypocrisy? - was not lost on Cedric.
He huffed, then said, "I can give you some advice, though. Come here and let me tell you." After a moment passed, he repeated, "Come here! As in physically. Walk over here." Hildegard narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, but did step closer. "Closer, now lean in…" She did, a little bit. It was enough for Cedric, who also leaned in and looked about conspiratorially. "Talk. To her."
He leaned back. "Talk to her, as you might with, oh, I don't know, another human being~." His voice suddenly lost any sing-song quality, now bone dry. "Honestly, she's a person, not the bloody Philosopher's Stone. If you want her secrets you can just ask ."
"Cedric, Cedric." Amber examined her nails and sighed, and both the other princess and the sorcerer - sorcerers, multiple, Greylock was still around - looked at her. "This isn't a request to help us, you know. Have you forgotten who my father is?"
Cedric grunted his displeasure and opened his mouth to protest, but Amber cut him off. "If you really want to make this difficult, I can just tell him about the rather compromising position you were in with Hildy earlier. Poor traumatized princesses aren't exactly Daddy's favorite thing."
... What compromising- OH. Oh, the bit where Hildegard fell on him. Wait, she fell on him - if anything he was the victim! ...Roland wouldn't see it that way. ...Well, it wasn't as if anyone actually saw it. ...Mm, well, Greylock did. ...Not to mention, truth serums existed. ... Which, if used, could also prove it was a total accident! ... Did Cedric really trust Greylock or his luck enough to save him against Roland's wrath, especially where his daughter (and her friend) was involved?
Cedric blanched. "No, no, of course not, your highness! Never would I refuse something of the royal family!" He could feel himself sweating. "I was always going to help, I just thought your plan could do with, some, ah. Maintenance, that's all! None of that was intended maliciously. Of course not! In fact, I think this will be the most fun I've had in ages. How hilarious, this little farce!" Cedric knew his too-wide grin, his huge eyes and knitted brow - none of it was in the least convincing that he actually thought any of this. It was...embarrassing, kowtowing like this, but honestly? Cedric felt that Roland might make an exception on the no-executions rule if it was regarding Cedric purportedly taking advantage of princesses. Not his own daughter, admittedly, but - well, one his daughter's own age, and Amber's probable crocodile tears would make it…
Pride was one thing. Losing one's neck was quite another.
"That's what I thought!"Amber grinned, rather too smug for Cedric's taste - but of course, he didn't say anything. "Well! Now that that's all settled, Hildy? I believe we were intending to have lunch, yes? Cedric, we'll be by your workshop later. We look forward to seeing what you've come up with by then~" And they were off. Cedric visibly slumped as the two girls turned the corner.
Greylock clapped Cedric on the back, and led Cedric into an unused room off the main hallway. "Good plan, Cedric!"
Cedric jumped at the unexpected contact, then asked when he regained his composure, "What were you even doing during that whole thing? Twiddling your thumbs - or something else? I could have used some backup. And anyhow, what plan?"
"Well, the plan to sabotage that whole scenario, of course!" Cedric didn't respond, and Greylock's grin slowly fell. "You… weren't planning any such thing, were you. Are you now, at least?"
Shaking his head, Cedric said, "No. She's likely to find on her own that it won't work between her and Sofia, whatever meddling… And, on the off chance that Sofia is in fact, 'winnable' in this way… Well, together, she and I could make the perfect romantic hero that Sofia deserves." Greylock was still frowning a bit. "With Princess, ah.. Hildy's beauty, her probable ability; and my thoughts and, ah… My…" Now it was Cedric's turn to frown. He really didn't have much to bring to the table, did he.
Greylock's hands were clasping Cedric's own, then, and Greylock said "Please don't do this, Cedric. It just sounds painful for everyone involved. If the two girls get together and you're determined not to stop that, fine. But don't actively try to set her up with… Someone… else." Greylock's words slowed to a halt as he blinked and looked down at nothing in particular.
Cedric took his hands back from Greylock's now rather limp ones, and said, "I don't know, it sounds rather delightful for two of the three people involved. Even if one of them is a self entitled brat who doesn't deserve Sofia. The third person doesn't… doesn't deserve to encroach on Sofia's happiness like that."
"You what? Cedric, what are you saying? You don't deserve something? Are you sure you're even Cedric, and not someone - or thing - shapeshifted to try and take over the castle under everyone's noses, or something?" That got a small, breathy laugh out of Cedric at least. "Quite seriously, though, Cedric. You do love her, right? You at least deserve that chance."
A sigh escaped Cedric. "Honestly? I think that's debatable at this point." Greylock started to respond, but before he could, Cedric continued, "Talking to the princess just now, I realized I'm in much the same situation. I'm not treating her like a prize for winning a game or what-have-you, but the fact remains that I know probably less than she does about her as a person anymore. Am I just - projecting this idea that I have onto her? I really don't believe this awful thing counts as 'love'."
Aside from Cedric, the room was silent as Greylock took in what was being said. When Cedric seemed done, the other sorcerer asked, "What's that you're supposed to be projecting onto her? What is it that made you fall for her in the first place?"
"I'm not quite sure, to be perfectly honest. I perfectly fine, plotting another attempt to - ah. That is… Anyhow, I was fine with my life and my goals, until Sofia returned. The sight of her again, the fact that she seemed sincerely happy to see me. I think that was the start of it. Certainly not any earlier, at any rate."
Greylock tilted his head. "So, she went off, grew up. She's back and is suddenly pretty damned attractive?"
Cedric jolted with the force of his surprise, nostrils flaring and mouth turning down into a grimace. "No! Merlin's mushrooms, no. I mean yes she is stunning these days, but I'm not even interested in anyone like that. We were roommates in Hexly! Why do you think I never snuck anyone into the room?" Greylock whistled faux-innocently and looked towards the corners of the room. "All right, I know what you're getting at, but that wasn't the. Only reason." He sniffed indignantly. "So no, it's not that, you boorish lout."
"Easy, Cedric. I wasn't trying to get your goat, for once." Greylock chuckled lightly. "So if that's not it - well, what do you like about her?"
Cedric raised his shoulders and waved his hands in the air in some sort of drawn-out shrug. "She's got her knack for magic, which is always nice. She can actually understand what I go through to make things happen, can understand that it's not just - well, that magic isn't actually like magic. Surprisingly. She's clever too, of course - I heard that she managed to open the borders of Oz, is that true? Though that might also be in part due to how she's just… legitimately wonderful to be around, objectively. Most positive people are too pushy, too upbeat, too annoying to exist but she-well, she makes being so pushy and upbeat into actually decent things, somehow." Cedric sighed and leaned on a dresser. "I suppose it's not based on anything different than my fondness has ever been? But she looks so different. Her hair, her poise, her structure… I can actually see her as an adult. And this is what happens the moment I do. Uuugh." Cedric buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"Well, you've proved yourself wrong, at least, old pal. Just because the nature of your feelings are changing, doesn't make them any less genuine. If anything, it's probably more than that other girl's got, hmm?"
Cedric slightly flinched at that. Wrong? "Well- no, see. That may be true, but who are you to give advice, anyway?" Haha, checkmate.
Geylock held up a finger and had his mouth open like he was going to say something for a few moments, before putting the hand back down and simply saying, "Point taken."
Cedric's small but smug grin fell after a moment, and he asked, "...I apparently do need advice, so. Have you been in a similar situation, or any romantic relationship at all?"
One of Greylock's eyebrows rose, but he answered, "Since you mention it, yes. I have been in that situation, somewhat."
"...Aaaand?"
"...I was interested in a schoolmate of mine." Really? Cedric had had no idea. Greylock hadn't brought anyone to their room either - perhaps for similar unpopularity reasons as Cedric, now that he thought about it, but at the time he'd assumed that Greylock just wasn't interested in girls.
"They never seemed interested." Greylock seemed calmer and more melancholy than usual, though at least he wasn't pouting as hard as he had earlier. "I tried to get their attention, I tried being obvious. I tried being subtle, just being there and being their friend. Nothing worked."
"I see. What happened to change that?"
Greylock closed his eyes and sighed. "Nothing. We're still friends, sort of. Possibly? They just don't… care. That way, or sometimes I think at all."
Cedric's brows knitted in sympathy. He stood up and put his hand on Greylock's shoulder. "I see. I'm sorry to have brought it up, old friend. Knowing you, though, well - it's the sorcerer's secret! Keep trying, and I'm sure you'll win her heart...someday."
Greylock blinked slowly. "Cedric."
Cedric blinked in return. "What?"
Greylock pinched the bridge of his nose. "Cedric…"
