Chapter Twenty-Three – Confessions

By the time Sofia was finished with her tale, her voice was nearly a whisper. Her hands shook, so she clasped them together so it wasn't noticeable. She was so scared of what Cedric's reaction would be, yet it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders by telling him the truth.

Cedric leaned forward, both hands massaging his temples. "You did all that…for me?"

Sofia was so relieved to find that he didn't look mad anymore—only surprised and slightly confused. She gave a nod.

"Wait, so…that was you out in the rain, and when I confessed about the amulet—" He was cut off by his own sharp intake of breath. She stood and walked over to him, bending down in front of where he sat on the piano bench.

"Yes, and I'm so sorry, Cedric, I didn't mean what I said. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you." She reached forward and placed a hand on his cheek. "And I don't care if you wanted to steal my amulet. The past is in the past. That's not who you are anymore." Sofia looked down at the ground. "I know I don't deserve you after everything I've done," she cried, tears slipping freely down her cheeks. She felt a hand gently wipe them away, and her eyes flickered up to meet his.

"Sofia, even when you do something wrong, you do it with the best intentions. Nobody can fault you for that."

She shook her head. "No, I was being selfish and only thinking about my own desires. I became someone who was willing to hurt people to get what I wanted. Cedric, can you ever forgive me?"

He gave her a gentle smile, stroking his thumb against her cheek. "You've seen me at my worst, you know my darkest secrets, and even when I let you down, you still forgive me. How could I not forgive you after all you've forgiven me for? How can I not love you all the more for it?" he replied, whispering the last question.

"You love me?" she whispered, her heart swelling with hope. "That's all I ever wanted, Cedric. I only wanted you to love me. I know I did some terrible things, and I feel really bad about them, but I only did it because I thought it would make you fall in love with me."

Cedric shook his head. "Sofia, you can't make someone fall in love with you—either they are or they aren't, and none of those tricks would have made me fall in love with you."

Sofia felt her bottom lip tremble, but a small part of her heart still held onto childlike hope. He may not love her, but at least he wouldn't cut off all contact like Hugo had done with Amber. If nothing else, their friendship would remain, and as much as she loved him, a lifelong friendship was better than not having him at all.

"I understand," she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. Cedric moved a thumb across her cheek, wiping the tear away.

"Sofia, none of those things would have worked because I was already in love with you."

Sofia could have sworn her heart stalled in her chest and all the air escaped from her lungs in that moment. "You…you're in love with me?"

He gave a nod. "Ever since you were sixteen."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "But you rejected me under the mistletoe."

"You were sixteen, Sofia—still so young." He bit down lightly on his lip. "Now it's different, you're eighteen. I mean, it may only seem like two years difference, but—"

"Cedric, kiss me," she interrupted, tilting her head up towards him. He chuckled as he stood and then pulled her to her feet. Wrapping a hand around her waist, he pulled her closer until their lips were almost touching.

"That's all you ever needed to say, Sofia."

Then he leaned forward and finally gave her the kiss she had been waiting two years for. In that moment Sofia made a vow to herself. She would be honest with him from now on—no more lying. If she had just told him she loved him and given him the Valentine's Day card in the first place, she could have spared them both the heartache of the past week.

Cedric's hand moved from her cheek to her hair, tangling his fingers in it. Sofia let out a sigh and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer and deepening the kiss. His other hand then slipped across her waist until it rested on her back, pulling her just as close.

When she finally pulled away, he let out a noise of discontentment. "What, am I a terrible kisser?"

She giggled. "No, you're wonderful—everything about you is…but there's something I have to take care of downstairs."

"What is it?" he asked, resting his forehead against hers.

"I have to tell Amber that she has to tell Desmond how she feels—or else she might lose him."

His eyes snapped open before he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Well, serves her right. Look at what she did this past week," he said, leaning forward. Sofia brought a finger up to his lips, stopping him.

"Cedric, she only had good intentions at heart. She was hurt by someone she loved, and that's why she did all this, but now I have to tell her the truth before it's too late."

Cedric let out a sigh. "All right, fine. But after that I want you to myself."

He leaned forward, placing a kiss on her lips. "Deal."

When Sofia made it back to the ballroom, she found Amber seated at a nearby table, sipping on a cup of punch. Prince Jin sat across from her, talking animatedly, but she looked utterly bored. Sofia rushed over to her, cutting Jin off mid-sentence.

"I need to speak with my sister for a minute, it's very important," she explained hastily.

Jin looked a little irritated, but nodded in understanding. Sofia nearly dragged Amber from her chair as she led her out of the ballroom.

"What is it? Please tell me you didn't actually carry out your plan," Amber said when they reached the deserted hallway.

"Actually I did, and now Cedric and I are together," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "But I can tell you all about it later, right now you have to go find Desmond and tell him how you feel."

"Wait, your plan worked? You told him everything?" Amber asked, amazement written across her face.

"Yes. He only told me about his feelings once I was honest with him about mine. Now you have to tell Desmond about your feelings. He's shy, Amber, and now he thinks you're in love with Prince Jin because of that stunt you pulled back there. He doesn't want to interfere with what he thinks is your happiness. I just saw him walking out to his carriage with his parents. If you hurry, you can catch him before he leaves!"

Amber swayed forward, like she wanted to go, but then bit down on her lip before looking down at the ground. "I can't, Sofia. If I tell him how I feel it'll ruin everything!"

"No, it won't. Prince Hugo didn't really love you, and he certainly didn't deserve your affection—that's why he ran away. I can tell Desmond really cares about you, Amber, and if you don't tell him how you feel you're going to lose him."

Amber still looked torn, so Sofia leaned forward and put a hand on her older sister's shoulder. "Amber, it worked for me and it can work for you."

It was silent for a moment, but finally Amber looked up with terrified eyes. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not easy. It was really hard for me, but you have to do it anyway. Remember, you are a princess. You are bold and courageous, just like Princess Jasmine and all the other princesses. If I can find the courage to tell Cedric how I feel, you can too."

Amber took a deep breath, then fixed Sofia with a pointed look. "You better be right about this!"

Glad to see Amber's back! Sofia thought with a smile. She gave her an encouraging nod and watched as she slipped down the hallway towards the main gates. Sofia only hoped Amber made it in time.

Amber's mind was spinning the entire walk to the front entrance. Could Sofia really be right? She didn't understand why the techniques didn't work—they always worked in the books! And when she had done exactly what the books said not to, Hugo had shut her out completely. Her heart still ached when she thought about it, and the fear of rejection nearly paralyzed her.

Her pace slowed, and she let a sob escape her throat. To everyone else she was always strong and bold…but when she was alone she didn't feel that way. You are Princess Amber—everyone loves you! she told herself, but there was this little voice nagging at the back of her mind. Everyone except Hugo. Do you really want to ruin your chances with Desmond?

What if Sofia turned out to be wrong? Sure, her plan may have worked on Cedric, but he was weird anyway—hardly Prince material. Desmond, on the other hand, was like a dream come true. He was handsome and kind and smart—the definition of Prince Charming! Could she really risk it all to follow advice her little sister gave her?

Amber didn't even realize she'd reached the front doors until she found herself halting in front of them. She gazed up at the massive doors, heart pounding in her chest. Finally, she reached forward and inched one open, glancing out at the entrance. Just as Sofia had said, there was Desmond and his family. A Royal Coachman was leading a winged horse over to their carriage, strapping him up to the harness. Torches lit up the courtyard, and she felt her heart stop as she stared at Desmond in the light burning from the fires. The shadows accentuated his sharp cheekbones, and his blue eyes twinkled in both the fire light and the moonlight. He looked so handsome that all Amber could do was stand there and stare at him.

Suddenly, his head perked up and his eyes turned to meet hers. She sucked in a breath and held it, both waiting for the other to move. Finally his head tilted to the side, and he took a step forward. As he made his way over to her, she found the courage to do the same. They met mid-way, with him standing on a step below her.

"What are you doing out here, Princess Amber? I thought you would be inside enjoying the ball."

"I couldn't enjoy it without you," she said before she lost her nerve.

His eyes widened slightly, but a smile tugged at his lips. Then, just as quickly as it appeared it dimmed down. "Why not?"

She glanced down at her dress, picking at a small thread that had come loose. "I need to tell you something before it's too late."

"What is it—"

"I'm in love with you!" she blurted out, interrupting him in her haste to just say it. She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. Yes, she wanted to tell him—but did she have to go and say it like that? Now he'd be scared away for sure. When her wide brown eyes met his gaze, she found that he wasn't running—nor did he look scared by her outburst.

"But…but I saw…what about Prince Jin?" he stuttered.

Amber let out a sigh. "I was trying to make you jealous, Desmond. You weren't making a move, so I thought that if you saw me with him it would spur you into action. And obviously it didn't have the desired effect."

"I wanted to ask you out, Amber, but I wasn't sure how you felt about me. I couldn't bear to have you reject me, so I was waiting for you to say something," he said with a shrug.

Amber could have laughed with relief. So Sofia had been right—all this time he had feelings for her, but was waiting on her to make a move. If she had told him earlier, maybe they could have spent the night dancing. Instead they spent it miserable.

"Fine, since you're waiting on me to say something, here it is: Desmond, I really like you, and I'd like it even more if we could start courting."

A smile broke out across his face. "I agree."

"Desmond, the carriage is ready!" his mother called out. His eyes strayed over to the carriage, where his mother and father already sat.

"Would it be all right if I stayed a bit longer?" he called out, and Amber could feel her hopes rising. Maybe they could still spent Valentine's Day together. After all, the night wasn't over. It was barely ten o'clock!

"Well…all right. We'll send the carriage a little while later—and we expect you home by midnight!"

"Just like Cinderella," Amber teased, and Desmond laughed.

"All right, mother."

When they had flown off, he turned back to Amber. "Ready to head back inside?"

"Sure, but first…" Steeling herself, and breaking every rule she had set for herself, she leaned forward and joined their lips. Desmond immediately stiffened, but a moment later he tentatively reached a hand up and ran his fingers through her hair. When they broke away Amber was pleased to see a dazed look on his face.

"I have a feeling this is going to be the best Valentine's Day ever," she said, and he could only nod in agreement.

Sofia turned away from Cedric's window, grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you smiling about?" Cedric asked, walking over to wrap his arms around her.

"Let's just say my plan worked," she said, still happy over the fact that she had seen Amber—Miss you-can't-kiss-a-guy—kiss Desmond right on the lips.

"So now you're all mine," he said, drawing her close.

"I was always yours," she said before lifting up on her toes to kiss him.

Well, that's it! The end. Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you all enjoy it, and hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I know it was a long journey, but here's the happy ending at last! ;)

I just want to take a minute to thank each and every one of you who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I enjoyed talking with all you reviewers and even making some new friends! This definitely won't be my last venture into the Sofia the First fandom. But more on that in the next chapter. A short on how Baileywick found out Sofia's secret should be up momentarily. If you're interested in my future Sofia project, or my other incomplete stories, just check the author's note following that.