Sofia woke abruptly, her nightgown pajamas all drenched of sweat.
She just had a terrible nightmare that she is so thankful to be just a dream after all. Her heart is still throbbing even thinking about it.
The surroundings was still dark and the moon visible from the window is still high up. It was indeed still in past midnight
And so the princess hopped out from her bed to catch her breath. She was panting hard from that dream that she just had
There is one place in her mind that she so wanted to go, and a certain person that she wanted to see. Whenever she would have dreams like this, his tower would always be her solace and his presence would provide the comfort that she so needed
And so without hesitation, she headed out for the door.
xXx
"All hail King Cedric!"
A loud series of horns accompanies as the yells from the crowd filled almost the entire village, There I was, smiling all through my cheeks, finally having the dream on my grasp
I could smell it, the smell of recognition and respect. Everyone is now finally seeing how great I am
This is truly the finest moment of King Cedric the Great!
When suddenly, a loud series of knocks came out of nowhere stumbled upon
Cedric bolted awake as he notices the source of the loud nuisance came from his door. The knocks were more fast and aggressive, as if it reeked of urgency
Upon finally answering the door, a certain figure immediately fell to his robes
"Oh, Mr. Ceedric!"
It was indeed the youngest princess of Enchancia who had disturbed him from his wonderful dream. Cedric heaved out a sigh before kneeling down to meet her gaze
"Princess Sofia, why on earth are you still up at this hour?" Cedric uttered as he noticed something
"Merlyn's Mushrooms! You're all sweaty"
Sofia nodded slowly with tears still flowing on her cheeks. Cedric caught on instantly on what's going on as he moved to the side and led the sobbing princess to his tower
She sat on her chair, as Cedric then walked back and forth from the table.
"Soo, what did you dream about this time, little Princess?" Cedric soothed as he gave Sofia the box of napkins
"There was a big ogre that destroyed the kingdom and kidnapped everyone. I was the only one left…"
Cedric felt bad, a nightmare is something that is very horrendous, especially to children. Sofia is too kind and pure to even deserve such a thing
And so the sorcerer sat next to her and caressed her back
"There there, now little princess. Everything is alright now" Cedric uttered
"Thanks Mr… Ceedric. Can I stay here for a few while?"
"Of course, the tower is always open for scared little girls who just had a nightmare…" Cedric responded sarcastically
Sofia giggled, despite still quite shaken with the incident
The sorcerer smiled in response.
"Well then, let's do something about those soaked clothes." Cedric stated
"I'll go fetch you something to wear, I'll be right back"
And so Cedric stood up and walked to his room. He still could feel the feeling of victory from his dream, the power and the success— but of course, had to be cut short.
He marched to his old closet where a set of robes were hung. They all looked the same.
He took the smallest one, hoping somehow it would at least fit the little girl's frame, even a little
Cedric came back down and saw Sofia hugging herself and shivering. He felt bad seeing her like this and so he hurried
"Here, Princess Sofia. I hope it's not so big for you" Cedric muttered as he handed her the robes
Sofia's eyes widened in delight upon seeing the robe that was presented to her. She took it without hesitation and hugged it close to her chest
"I love it, Mr Ceedric!" she squealed
"Yes, I'm sure you do. Now go to that room over there and change" Cedric uttered as he lead the little girl to the small room just upstairs beside the bookshelves
The sorcerer waited outside, still a little bit sleepy from the whole ordeal. He hadn't been sleeping much lately due to the amount of potions that he had been experimenting.
He wanted nothing more than to return to that wonderful dream that he just had, and cherish every moment.
But reality knocks in certain ways upon remembering that he has a little Princess to accompany now
"I'm done!"
Sofia's voice echoed as she gets out from the room. Cedric was just outside staring at the window
A sly smile then crept unto her rosebud lips as she sneaked behind him, hoping to give him a scare
"Rahh!"
The sorcerer jumped, taken out of nowhere. He turned to the little brat and saw Sofia herself now wearing his robes
"Ha Ha, very funny…" He sarcastically uttered
Sofia giggled again, seeing how she had gotten the sorcerer worked up
"It was, especially when you made that face"
"Very well, I see that you are on high-spirits now. I'll accompany you back to your room…"
"No!"
Sofia yelled in defiance as she held on to Cedric's sleeve
"I don't want to be back there all alone, I want to stay here" She pleaded with her sky blue eyes reflecting the moonlight from the window
Cedric couldn't say no, especially when she's looking at him like that
"Fine…"
Sofia jumped in joy upon hearing that, her smile bright and wide with the excitement that she was having.
"We're gonna have soooo much fun, Mr Ceedric!"
xXx
"And that makes it 20-0 for me!"
Sofia cheered as she wrote the corresponding letters to the note. She is currently playing Merlyn's Board Game with her favorite sorcerer inside his room
They had done quite plenty from the past hour, from practicing spells, play charades, tell each other jokes and even make origamis
"hah, beginners luck" Cedric whispered under his breath
Sofia rested her hands on her hips as she responded
"I can do anything, Mr Ceedric. Even beat you multiple times on your game" she jested
Cedric rolled his eyes as he watched the princess giggle afterwards
Suddenly, a yawn escaped her mouth
"Oh no, what could that be!" Cedric sarcastically stated
"That's right, a telltale sign that a princess should now be at bed"
"I guess so…" Sofia responded as she rubbed her eyes softly with a slight yawn
He then stood up and stretched every muscle in his body. He returned the board game and its pieces back to the box as he went to the drawers for storage
As he turned around, Sofia was now gone!
He looked around the room, every nook and cranny just to spot the stubborn girl who refuses to sleep. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the formation of his blanket which he immediately noticed where Sofia was hiding
And so he decided play along
"Oh no! where could the princess be hiding!" Cedric uttered
"I'm not hiding under the bed!" A voice spoke
"Under the bed? But I thought she was…" Cedric uttered as he looked under the bed
"Rah!"
Sofia appeared out again which caught Cedric by surprise as he fell down to the ground. She was hiding in the blanket all along
"Hahaha, you fell for it again Mr Ceedric!"
Cedric looked at her with annoyance
"Merlyn's Mushrooms." He whispered under his breath
He stood up and walked to the bed to escort Sofia but she snuggled more inside the blanket.
"Come now little Sofia, It's time for sleepy" Cedric uttered
"I'll escort you back"
"That's right. Good night Mr. Ceedric!" she greeted as she covered herself more with the blanket and continued to lay on his bed
Cedric heaved out a sigh, he didn't know Sofia can be this immature and childish at times. She always seemed mature when she's with her friends and family
But this is how she is whenever she's with him, a very stubborn little girl who would play around to no ends
"Read me a bedtime story, Mr. Ceedric!"
His train of thoughts were interrupted as a certain request from the princess
"A bedtime story?"
"Mhmm" Sofia nodded with a smile on her face
"The dream is still lingering in my mind, and I fear it will come back again when I'm back in my room all alone" she added
"Please Mr. Ceedric!"
She leaned close to him, her sky blue eyes begging him like a puppy wanting to be adopted. Her lips were shivering as it forms into a pout
It was the cutest thing ever
"Oh no no no, not this again…" he muttered
Sofia leaned in closer, her eyes now showing signs of tears just like earlier complimenting the pink flush on her cheeks
"I uhh…"
"Please Mr. Ceedric!"
Cedric closed his eyes, not wanting to give in. But upon remembering the nightmare that she had been through, it's no wonder she is desperate for company.
He remembered as a kid when he used to have nightmares of the boogeyman, and how he longed to have someone to be with. He hated the feeling of being alone
He knew about the feeling damn well, and he doesn't want Sofia to go through that again
And so..
"Fine…"
A slight squeal can be heard from the Princess as she laid back down to his bed and covered herself with the blanket
"It smells like you, Mr. Ceedric"
The sorcerer laughed, the Princess can say the most outlandish things sometimes
He then took out a book under his bed and Sofia closed her eyes to prepare herself to sleep
Cedric opened the book as the dust sprinkled to his face. It contained pages of letters and pictures of literature
"Are you ready?"
Mhmm" Sofia hummed with her eyes closed
And so he started
"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away lived a girl who was kind and generous to everyone she meets"
Cedric narrated
"One day…"
"Umm, Mr. Ceedric?" Sofia interrupted
Cedric paused and looked at her
"what is it?"
"Can you umm… caress my hair when you do so"
His eyebrows twitched in confusion upon hearing that
"What?"
"Pleaseee"
"You had been asking way too many requests, Princess Sofia"
"The faster I sleep, the faster you'll be able to get rid of meee" Sofia responded in a sing-song tone
Cedric heaved out another sigh as he slowly reached out for her hair. Sofia let out a soothe of relief when he did so as he slowly moved his hand on a gentle manner
"You're the best, Mr Ceedric" Sofia mumbled with a smile
The sorcerer paused for a bit, not expecting such a compliment from the Princess. It sounded so genuine and sincere
And so he decided to continue on with the story
"Continuing, everyone in the kingdom loved the girl very so that they recognize her from a mile way. She brought nothing but Joy to everyone's faces as they pass by. One day, she met a certain traveler from an another kingdom who has…"
Cedric glances at her, and upon doing so, notices that she indeed had fallen asleep already. A smile forms on his face as he slowly carries her up from the bed and slowly tiptoes out of the room and out of the tower
He proceeded to carefully make his way to her room without making any hitches whatsoever. She looked very peaceful at her state right now.
Finally reaching her room, Cedric gently lays her down to her bed without any unnecessary movement that might wake her up.
"Goodnight Princess Sofia"
Cedric utters as he pats her head one last time which Sofia really liked. He then tiptoed his way out, not causing any noise whatsoever
Sofia slept with a smile on her face, despite just having the nightmare earlier. She was now dreaming about something wonderful and nice, especially after the treatment she had from her favorite sorcerer
~The End~