From Now On

Summary: "From now on, our bond will be unbroken. I'll shield you from the dangers and the uncertainty of the world. Just give me that chance, Sofia, and I'll protect and love you until the stars dissolve."

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Angel, Alamea, Nina, and Corban (mentioned). Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X. Everyone/everything else is Craig Gerber's.

A/N: Changes are coming, my dear friends… Literally, from now on, things will be very different…in a good way. 😊 Most of this is going to focus solely on Cedric and Sofia, though you will still get a few glimpses at the other castle members as well. Hope you enjoy!

*Story*

It was New Year's Eve in Enchancia, and the whole kingdom was celebrating with plenty of food and music. People were outside the castle, across the bridge, scattered throughout the village… Everywhere. It was probably the most anyone had seen each other in quite a while.

However, due to the colder temperatures, many had chosen to stay inside for the celebration. Most of the main group was gathered in the ballroom, the curtains drawn aside to reveal the large pane windows and the twinkling stars in the sky. While they were resting on several sofas or chairs that had been brought in just for that occasion, plenty of conversations were going on as they waited for midnight to arrive.

The ballroom was dim at the time, casting a very quiet, comforting feeling over the ones gathered. While most of the adults stayed on the sofas or chairs or even stood aside talking, the children were settled close to the window so that they could watch what was going on outside, sharing Corban's stash of goodies he'd gotten from his big brother James earlier. They were all clearly excited for the impending fireworks and festivities to follow.

A string quartet (appropriately enough, a family of four) sat aside, playing lively music to entertain their patrons. While they played, James led Vivian around the dance floor, playfully tugging her into a hug before kissing her briefly, and then resuming dancing again. Nigel also led Cordelia in a dance, chuckling at her sarcastic commentary about anything and everything, entertained as always when he was with his favorite person.

Meanwhile, on a plush loveseat set near the wall, Baileywick and Violet sat, but they weren't alone. Alamea, now a few days past her first birthday, snuggled into the stewardess's arms, her thumb in her mouth, while she listened to the former steward reading her a story. Every now and then, the former coworkers would exchange shy glances, still figuring out this new relationship of theirs but enjoying the changes that had come about in such a short time. Granted, they hadn't exactly made a habit of kissing every chance they got (like other couples would), but they'd held hands the other day. Oh! And they'd even hugged once before Violet's morning shift (which had really surprised several people on the staff). It was a slow process, to say the least.

And then there were Cedric and Sofia… They were on their own sofa, the princess leaning against one side while the sorcerer was wrapped in his new blanket, his head resting on her lap as she smiled down at him, her fingers trailing through his hair as he sleepily talked to her. Wormwood had even come down from the tower for the occasion (with Nina, no less), and both ravens were situated on top of the sofa, merely observing the others.

"…and I think we should probably hold off on that meeting next month," Cedric finished, lifting one hand from his blanket to his mouth as he yawned. "Oh, apologies, my dear." He chuckled. "I guess I didn't realize how tired I was…"

"You don't have to stay up, Cedric," Sofia reminded him, smiling sweetly. "You've seen plenty of 'new years' already. They're generally the same anyway, so if you wanted to sleep…"

"That's just it." He smiled warmly at her. "This year isn't like the other years. This year, we're…" He reached up, twirling some of her loose hair in his hand. "We're together… In more ways than one."

"You can say it, Cedric." She giggled. "We're in love…"

"Indeed, we are…" He sighed, releasing her hair and resting his hands over his midsection as Sofia continued caressing his hair. "I'm just glad I was able to be in love with you, Sofia…"

She frowned curiously at his words. "What do you mean? You've always been able to…"

"Not quite like that, my love." He slowly sat up, shuffling his position a bit to where he loosened the blanket, extending his arm and gesturing for her to move closer. He smiled as she did so, and he wrapped both his arm and the blanket around her, a fond expression on his face as she snuggled against him. "I just meant…after everything we've experienced the last year…or several…" He slowly rubbed her back, brushing his fingers through her hair, enjoying the subtle warmth of his partner. Her soft lavender and vanilla perfume flooded his senses (as it always did) and nearly entranced him, though he managed to stay alert. He had a mission, after all…

"Yeah… This year especially has been crazy." She sighed. "I can't even remember what it's like not to have villains after us, or to have a mission to complete, or something like that… Not that I'd give this life up for anything, but sometimes… I could definitely use a break."

"You deserve one, for certain," he acknowledged, his free hand reaching into his robe momentarily before subtly lowering to his lap. "I'll see to it that you get a nice, long, relaxing one during…our honeymoon, perhaps…?"

She blinked, staring at him in surprise. Had he said 'honeymoon?' "C-Cedric…?"

"One minute until midnight!" Calista announced, squealing, completely oblivious to what was going on with her uncle and friend. She grinned as many others cheered loudly.

Cedric chuckled at Sofia's astonished expression before shifting the blanket a bit, revealing what he'd retrieved from his robe earlier: a ring. It was a soft gold color with diamond butterflies on either side of the setting, which housed an amethyst heart stone on the left and a pink tourmaline heart stone on the right. What was more intriguing was that it was so similar to the one she'd seen and adored several months ago at the festival, but it was clearly made with Sofia in mind this time, and he could tell she was moved by it. Seeing the tears forming in her eyes, her mouth slightly agape, and her hands trembling, Cedric reached for her, holding her steady while gently caressing her fingers, the ring still in his grip. "From now on, our bond will be unbroken. I'll shield you from the dangers and the uncertainty of the world. Just give me that chance, Sofia, and I'll protect and love you until the stars dissolve…" He smiled as he heard a soft sob from her, and he reached up with his free hand, brushing her tears away. "I suppose I should ask properly, yes?" He chuckled as she nodded, laughing a bit in disbelief. "Sofia… Will you marry me?"

Sofia glanced down as Cedric held her hand, awaiting her answer, as the countdown of the last fifteen seconds of both the worst and the best year of her life began. "Yes…" She smiled warmly at Cedric, who apparently hadn't processed what she'd said. "Yes, Cedric, yes…" She watched as he slipped the engagement ring onto her ring finger, next to the BerryBand. She'd imagined it, dreamed about it... But nothing compared to the reality...

"Five…"

"Four…"

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One… Happy New Year!"

Everyone was cheering, hugging, kissing, singing, clapping, toasting, celebrating, and so on, as the fireworks outside exploded in a colorful display… Hardly anyone paid attention to the newly engaged couple locked in an embrace, now lost in an emotional kiss.

After a few moments, Sofia broke the kiss and laughed excitedly, still holding onto Cedric. "Yes, Cedric, I'll marry you!"

"Wait, 'marry?!'" Amber's head whipped around so fast that she nearly fell backwards off the sofa she was sitting on. She grinned as her younger sister held up her left hand, the new ring catching the light just right and twinkling a bit. "Sofia!"

"Saw that coming," Wormwood mumbled to Nina, but there was a tiny smile on his visage. And…

"Wormwood, are you crying?" Nina asked, smirking at his flustered appearance.

"Ugh, n-no!" He scoffed, trying to play it off. "It's those…ridiculous fireworks. They wreak havoc on…on my senses…"

She giggled, snuggling closer to him, her wing brushing against his. "It's okay to be happy for your friend, you know…"

He sighed, nodding as he nuzzled her head. "I know." He then smiled softly as he watched Cedric and Sofia pull apart, staring lovingly at each other. "I know…"

"Hey, congrats, you guys!" James told the couple, before folding his arms and playfully smirking. "Though you kind of interrupted the fireworks with your excited yelling, Sofia."

Sofia smirked back at him. "I'm sorry, James. The love of my life just asked me to marry him. Would you rather me tell him no instead?"

"Don't you dare," Cordelia insisted, grinning, as Nigel wrapped his arms around her from behind and settled his head on her shoulder. "It took you two long enough to even admit you loved each other as more than friends. I know you two like doing things backwards, but this is one time you need to move forward…"

"I know, Cordelia." She laughed. "I'm just kidding." She smiled as Nana and Tanya hurried over to them, climbing onto the sofa, snuggling with them in celebration. She hugged Nana as Cedric held onto Tanya.

"Oh, Sofia, this is so exciting!" Amber gushed, beaming happily as Roland and Miranda stood near the window, smiling knowingly at the scene. "When are you getting married? We need to get you the most beautiful gown. We must plan the color scheme—of course, there should be purple, or lavender, and magenta… Ooh, I have so many ideas!"

Sofia laughed. "Calm down, Amber… We just got engaged… We'll talk through the details soon, I promise." She then eyed Cedric playfully. "So, about that honeymoon…"

He laughed nervously, blushing a bit. "L-Let's get through the wedding first, my dear… Although, I do have an idea for something we can do soon, if you're interested?"

She nodded. "I'm listening."

"Have you ever heard of the Moonlight Magic Festival?" He smiled as she shook her head. "Trust me, then… It will be a nice getaway, and one well deserved." He reached out with a free hand, caressing her cheek as she sighed. "Nothing but the best for…my beautiful bride."

Sofia giggled before leaning toward him, kissing him again, as the fireworks exploded outside once more.

The end