Pleasant Things

The sun had barely made it past the horizon when Cedric found himself waking from sleep. For a time, he listened to the weary aches of his body and simply enjoyed the warmth of the bed. The mattress and springs, though creaking in their age, were still amazingly supple and inviting, and his body enjoyed being in the comfort of a bed again after days sleeping on rocks and moss.

He dozed, allowing his eyes to flutter open to watch the strange ceiling beams and close again to snatch more minutes of sleep. His mind tried to draw his attention to the current situation of his life and the dangers that awaited him, but failed to lure him from his comfort. How could it compete with the snug, clean sheets and quilt that cradled him, or the sensation of the warm young woman he held to his side…

"Good morning, Cedric," Sofia said, setting off the alarm bells in Cedric's head.

"Sofia!" With a gasp, Cedric sat up in bed, snatching back the arm that had been so audaciously clasping her waist while he slept. Merlin's mushrooms! He stared at the offending hand as the events of the night came rushing back to him. Whatever had possessed him to allow the princess into his bed? Certainly she had been upset about her bed or something of that nature…her room perhaps…but what on earth could he have been thinking? She wasn't a child anymore, after all, and he…he was…

Cedric's mouth went dry. "Sofia. Princess, I'm sorry…I wasn't aware…"

"Aware of what?" Sofia didn't seem to notice or share his distress, as she turned over on her back and studied the same ceiling that had held his attention for so long. She appeared serene in her wakefulness, her face relaxed though her eyes roamed over the beams as though she was trying to make sense of something.

"I was just thinking," she said suddenly. "Do you remember the first Tri Kingdom picnic I attended? When James and I tried to win the Golden Chalice for the first time?"

"The Tri Kingdom picnic?" Still focused on how her body had fit against his arm, Cedric could barely get his thoughts together. "Why, I think I recall…perhaps…"

"I remember how determined James was to win that chalice. He got so worked up about it!" Sofia laughed suddenly; a sweet sound free from grief. "We nearly lost the games and our friends because of his temper! But, in the end, James proved what a good sport he was. I think that was one of my happiest memories. One of them." She smiled to herself.

As it slowly dawned on Cedric that she hadn't noticed his arm (or perhaps wasn't bothered by the boldness of it), Sofia suddenly looked at him with determination.

"Cedric, I don't want to think about unpleasant things anymore."

"Unpleasant things?" Cedric tried to make sense of that as he inched his way towards the edge of the bed.

The princess rested on her elbow, her gaze fixed on him. "I don't want to think about Grimtrix's family or what happened in Avalor, or what might be happening in Enchansia. Last night, I couldn't sleep, thinking over and over about everything that's happened and what I've lost, and I realized this morning that I am only letting those things crush me. Yes, my husband is gone." Her voice cracked, and she looked down at the pillow. Cedric held his breath, anticipating an influx of tears. "And my son is hidden somewhere without me. But I can't do anything about those things now, except make a life in the here and now for myself, and" she pressed a hand to her belly, "this poor child. I know they won't just go away, but I can't spend my days crying over them anymore. Others are responsible for seeking out those that threaten me, but I am only responsible for what I do for myself now. So," She raised her eyes to him again, "I won't cry anymore. From now on, I only want to remember pleasant things and speak of happy things to come. Do you understand?"

"…I think so," he said, trying to make heads and tails out it while she beseeched him.

"Will you do that with me? Will you help me remember happy things while we are here?"

"Remember happy things?" Cedric repeated, his mind drifting to his peaceful waking. "I suppose I could…though I doubt I have many…"

"You have plenty of happy memories!" Sofia turned over on her side, smiling at him. "What about that time you went with the Buttercups to Mystic Meadows? You showed your father what you were capable of during the Conjuring Contest? Remember?"

"Yes. Yes, I do recall that." Slowly, drawn by her eagerness, Cedric found himself recalling every moment of that event from so long ago. The sun brightening the room at last found them both still in bed, facing each other, and remembering all the pleasant things they could together.