Adventures in Magic
Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First or any of the characters/locations affiliated with it. The original characters introduced in various chapters belong to me.
A/N: Per requests/suggestions/hints, there will be some more interactions with the fairies in here before moving into the main plot. This one is full of bonding, so hope you have fun with it. 😊 A few of the promotional image quotes will be in here too! (Mr. Shortman92—The April 2nd birthday is my cousin's birthday, but that was definitely a happy coincidence! Haha!) Also, glad people caught the Pocahontas reference in the last chapter. If we couldn't have her in the show, by golly, I'll put her in here, even though I did already write a story with her once. Lol. Oh, and Navy Apocalypse 321: I think you'll find something familiar in here. ;)
Warning: Bonding fluff and sugary sweetness galore coming up. And hugs. Lots of hugs. :p
Chapter 11
Getaway
Summary: Seeing that traveling so often seems to be wearing on his apprentice, Cedric surprises Sofia with a picnic beside the ocean so they can have some bonding time.
"It sure is nice out here at night," Sofia commented as she sat next to Cedric while they were in a circle around the campfire with the three fairies. "It's not too hot, it's quiet, it's peaceful…"
"Wait till the wolves start howling," Merryweather joked, snickering at the look on Cedric's face. "Don't worry, Cedric. They're miles away from here."
"Well, that's a relief," he remarked, sighing.
"So, tell us about this Magical Ambassador program of yours," Flora requested as she passed around some sticks with marshmallows on them for everyone to roast over the flames. "How did you go about pursuing that avenue?"
"King Roland asked me to," Cedric responded simply, shrugging as he accepted his own marshmallow stick and lowered it toward the fire. "And as he is my king, my boss, and my friend, I couldn't very well say no."
Sofia grinned toward the others. "No, what he really couldn't say no to was bringing me along." She giggled as Cedric rolled his eyes. "Apparently, if I look sad enough, he'll agree to just about anything."
"Although," Cedric added thoughtfully with a focused stare on his marshmallow, "I'm rather glad she did come along. I can't imagine how boring this trip would have been without her."
Fauna laughed as Sofia smiled happily. "It's good to see you two getting to spend more time together. I was afraid that as time went on, it might try to draw you apart."
"I wouldn't let that happen, Ms. Fauna," Sofia insisted with a shake of her head. "I don't care how busy we get or how far apart we might be." She smiled gently toward Cedric, who gazed curiously at her. "I'll always find my way back to Mr. Cedric. He's a very important part of my life…"
"Sofia…"
"Your marshmallow is burning."
Cedric gasped sharply and quickly withdrew the stick from the flame, pouting as he noticed that there was nothing left but a gooey mass of charcoal. He glared over at Merryweather, who was cackling at the result, even after having warned him. "Oh, ha-ha, very funny."
"It really is!" the blue-clad woman responded, laughing even harder.
Throughout the evening, they found plenty to discuss. Sofia finally told the fairies about her meeting with their former charge Aurora (much to their delight and surprise), Miss Nettle's full reformation with the help of a talking snowman, her fairy wand from the Mystic Isles (which she apparently had neglected to inform Cedric about, considering his reaction), and even her own ability to transform into just about anything—including a fairy.
"My, you certainly have gained many new abilities," Flora chuckled. "And I had no idea you were involved in so many things!"
"She had gotten rather good at keeping secrets," Cedric admitted, smirking as the girl shrugged sheepishly. "Fortunately, she no longer needs to do that. Not when she has us to help her out."
Sofia smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric."
They soon finished their talk and treats before ultimately deciding to call it a night. As the Enchancian travelers would have to get up early, they bid the fairies farewell for now before heading to their hammocks to get some rest.
To Sofia's delight, Cedric had managed to string up the hammocks side by side, where they had a nice view of the star-blanketed night sky.
"Mr. Cedric," Sofia yawned as she snuggled deeper beneath a blanket that she'd conjured for herself.
"Hmm?" He glanced over toward his apprentice, his own body covered with a thick blanket.
"How many more kingdoms do we have to visit before it's time to go home?"
He frowned. He had previously wondered if their travels were beginning to wear down his princess, but he'd never asked. Perhaps he should… "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged lazily as she stared at the stars. "Just wondering."
"Well…those four I previously mentioned, and then there are some others on the list as well, I believe." He sighed. "I just can't recall their names off the top of my head."
"Oh… Okay."
He frowned in concern. "Is everything all right, Sofia?"
She smiled reassuringly toward him. "Yeah… You're with me, so I'm just fine." To emphasize her point, she reached out from her blanket, extending her hand to him.
Cedric chuckled and mimicked her motions, gently clasping her hand. "Good night, Sofia. Get some rest."
"Good night, Mr. Cedric." She gently squeezed his hand before retracting her own and turning over, fading into her dream world.
The sorcerer pondered her words and actions. She was obviously exhausted, and not just from the day. He could tell that all the traveling was starting to get to her. With that thought in mind, he came up with a solution that would likely ease her mind and make her feel better. "I probably need a break as much as she does," he reasoned to himself before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself.
Early the next morning, with the proper instructions from the fairies, Sofia and Cedric took off again, heading south. Neither one was particularly chatty at that point, but Sofia seemed especially quiet. It was getting to the point where Cedric was beginning to worry.
'I've got to do something,' he thought desperately once they were about an hour into their journey, before a secretive smile appeared on his face as he glimpsed the scenery beneath them. 'I have an idea." With a wave of his wand, the AutoCoach began to descend.
Sofia blinked as she noticed the change and turned to Cedric. "What's going on, Mr. Cedric?"
He smiled mysteriously toward her. "You'll see."
Within a few minutes, they had landed on a secluded stretch of land that ran along the ocean. The sand was a clean beige color, speckled with various seashells and even a stray starfish or two. Before Sofia could even vocalize her confusion, Cedric used his wand to conjure a blanket, which draped across the sand, and a basket overflowing with some of the most delicious-looking food either had ever seen.
The princess stared at the setup before blinking toward her friend. "What's all this?"
"This, my dear, is for you."
"For me?" She was still baffled, even as he guided her to sit down on the blanket, him following her. "But why?"
"The truth?" He smiled as she eyed him sarcastically. "Right, of course. Well…" He shrugged. "I can tell all our traveling is starting to weigh heavily on you, and I don't want you to get outdone or burned out before we finish. I figured a little picnic near the water might do both of us a world of good." He shifted a bit and held out his right arm, smiling as she leaned against him, before wrapping his arm around her comfortingly.
Sofia sighed in content as she watched the waves crashing against the shore. "I didn't know I even needed this…" She smiled up at him. "But you did. Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself, Mr. Cedric…"
"Funny, I could say the same for you."
She giggled. "I guess I just get a bit stressed sometimes, and I don't even notice it until someone points it out. I try hard not to let it show, but…"
"You don't always have to be the strong one, you know." He gently rubbed her arm as she sighed. "Lean on me if you need to. I'll always be here for you."
"Oh, Mr. Cedric…" She giggled as she went back to watching the water. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I am so glad you're so different from when I first met you."
"Well, I'm sure," he laughed.
"No, you don't understand." She turned toward him, smiling uncertainly. "When I first met you, of course, I was in awe of you. I thought you were wonderful. But…I was also sort of intimidated by you and scared of you a bit."
He frowned. "You were?" He blinked as she nodded. "Why?"
"Well, you weren't exactly nice, Mr. Cedric." She grinned as he gaped at her. "I mean, eventually you started acting nice to me and then finally just were nice rather than acting…if that makes sense." She laughed. "But…no, those first few times—first few weeks, actually—when I went to see you, you really did sort of…" She shrugged. "I don't know… But yeah, I was a little scared of you, honestly. I just didn't want you to know it. And I didn't want to be afraid of you, because I thought you seemed like a really neat person that I wanted to get to know."
"Well, that's…both endearing and disheartening to hear at the same time." He sputtered a bit, making his apprentice laugh again. "Now I feel bad!"
"Well, considering the circumstances, good." She smiled as he hugged her closer, and she leaned against his shoulder. "I'm glad you are who you are now… Someone I can rely on, share my worries and secrets with, go on adventures with…"
He chuckled as he affectionately settled his cheek against the crown of her head. "The feeling is mutual, my dear." As he heard the crash of yet another rush of waves, he sat up and vaguely gestured toward the shoreline with his left hand. "Do you know what they say about places like this?"
Sofia shook her head.
"They say it's magical, mystical, unpredictable…healing." He smiled toward her as she gazed up at him. "Sometimes the ocean can heal the soul. Just one look at the water, at the shoreline, at the sunrise or sunset…and you just know that everything is going to be all right in the end."
The young Protector pondered his words for a long time before finally smiling and teasing, "Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Mr. Cedric?"
"See, this is the thanks I get for trying to be metaphorical and insightful for a change." He scoffed as she laughed. "What an ungrateful apprentice you turned out to be." He smirked as she laughed even harder.
"Thanks, Mr. Cedric," she finally managed to say, calming her laughter to giggles. "I really did need this…" She turned and fully hugged him, sighing as he returned the hug. "You know what else makes me happy?" she whispered.
"What's that?" he returned softly.
"You don't push me away anymore…" She held onto him a little tighter, smiling as she felt him doing the same. "Not gonna lie. It sort of hurt my feelings when you used to do that… But when you started returning my hugs, I was so happy."
"I'll be honest," he admitted as he finally released her, allowing her to sit back on the blanket and look at him curiously. "Hugging took some getting used to, not only from a random child who weaseled her way into my life…" He smirked as she snickered. "But also from a princess. That sort of affection isn't shown between the classes often, and you just…kicked down that barrier and tap danced on it, all while singing and with a smile on your face."
"And a wand in my hand," she added playfully, causing him to laugh. "I don't care about class, Mr. Cedric. I grew up poor—the daughter of a cobbler and a sailor. In a village. Technically, you were of a higher class than I was before Mom married Dad. But I don't see all of that. I just see you: Mr. Cedric-my best friend, my mentor, my teacher…and one of my favorite people in the world." She smiled fondly as he appeared rather flattered by her words. "So, thanks for giving me a chance…" She smirked.
Cedric frowned. "Don't. Don't ruin this beautiful moment with—"
"Mr. Ceedric."
"Bah!" He folded his arms and looked away as the teen broke into laughter. "I swear, I thought we were done with that horrid name botchery, and here you decide to bring it back all these years later." He eyed her accusingly as she grinned guiltily. "And it's not even the first time on this trip. You are incorrigible, you know that?"
"I am not. I'm encouraging! I think you selected the wrong adjective, Mr. Cedric."
"Not in this case…" He finally smiled as she unfolded his arms and hugged him again. "You're forgiven." He gently tugged at her ponytail as the princess smiled up at him.
"Good to know."
To be continued…
(End note: Yes, they eventually did eat all that delicious food. Lol. I would never let good food go to waste. :p)