Dedicated to my friend and fellow Cedfia shipper, AnyaFyre, whose stories are so wonderful and full of heart!

Vision of the Future

Sixteen–year–old Cedric sat at his desk in his bedroom, a deep frown etched across his face. He was supposed to be studying, but his mind refused to focus on the open book in front of him. Instead, it kept replaying a conversation he'd overheard at Hexley Hall earlier that day…

"He'll never amount to anything. He'll be a bungler for the rest of his life."

"But, Alana, he really seems to like you."

"Shut up, Dotty. You saw the mess he made when he added too much unicorn hair to his potion. He's a total embarrassment, and he'll never be as great as his father. Besides, he looks like an old man with his gray bangs."

Cedric covered his face with his hands as a single tear slid down one cheek. Oh, he'd overheard plenty of people talk about him in such a manner. His former childhood friend, Prince Roland, wasn't exactly subtle when he told his visiting friends about Cedric's latest mishaps. Cordelia taunted him mercilessly whenever she had the chance. And many others talked when they thought the young sorcerer wasn't paying attention. It always broke his heart a little more each time he heard how negatively someone thought of him. He often sought comfort from his mother and his only true friend, Princess Lorelei.

But this… This was different. Cedric had had a crush on Alana ever since the school year started a few months ago when she was the newest student at Hexley Hall. The pretty brown haired girl had always been nice to him, even helping him out a few times. Cedric had really hoped that she actually liked him the same way he liked her. But today his hopes had been dashed when he overheard her talking to one of her friends about him. Maybe he really was a failure. Maybe…

A knock fell upon his door, and without waiting for an answer, Winifred entered the room with a tray holding a plate of fly cakes and a cup of tea. "Ceddykins, I brought you your favorite snack," she announced cheerfully, setting the tray down beside his book.

The boy sniffled as he lowered his hands. "No thanks, Mummy. I'm not hungry."

Winifred frowned. She'd known from the moment Cedric had stormed off to his room right after he and Cordelia got home from school that her son had had a rough day. Surprisingly, Cordelia didn't know what was bothering her younger brother. The girl had been too engrossed in a book about beauty magic to notice much of anything.

"Who do I need to curse?" she asked, pulling her wand out and waving it with a flourish. She laughed lightly when Cedric gave her a startled look. Conjuring a chair next to his, she sat down. Reaching out to tuck his wavy bangs behind his ear, she asked, "What's the matter, Ceddy?"

Cedric blinked, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill. "I… I heard Alana talking about me with one of her friends. She thinks I'm a failure just like everyone else."

"I see…" the sorceress's brows furrowed in anger. She knew her son really fancied this girl – he had been talking about her constantly since the start of the school year. Winifred knew that hearing her say such things had really hurt him. "Fear not, dear boy. Someday you'll prove to everyone what a great sorcerer you are. You'll be the greatest sorcerer Enchancia has ever seen." And a certain little girl will regret everything she said, she added to herself.

"Mummy," Cedric sighed, his voice cracking with uncertainty. "I–I don't think I'll ever find someone who will like me."

"Oh, darling, come here." Winifred wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. She kissed his forehead as he laid his head on her shoulder, running her fingers through his hair as she rocked him gently. "There is someone out there for everyone. You'll find your soul mate when it's meant to happen." They stayed that way for a few minutes, Winifred humming and brushing occasional tears from her son's cheeks. Finally, she urged him to sit back in his chair. "Why don't you put your homework away and eat your snack. You have all weekend to study. Besides," she winked. "Princess Lorelei is visiting."

"She is?" he asked, his face lighting up instantly.

"Oh, yes. And so is that overstuffed Prince Magnus. I'm sure the dear girl would rather spend time with you than have to listen to him and Prince Roland brag about whose kingdom is better."

For the first time that afternoon, Cedric smiled. He picked up his book and turned in his chair to put it back in his school bag. With her son momentarily distracted, Winifred summoned a tiny vial to her hand and quickly poured the contents in his tea. That should be just enough to give him a fleeting glimpse of his soul mate, she thought slyly, smiling innocently as Cedric turned back to the desk and grabbed a fly cake.

That night, Cedric dreamed that he was completely surrounded by a lavender mist so dense that he couldn't see his hand when he moved it in front of his face. He didn't know how long he stood in this queer fog, but it finally cleared just enough for him to make out a figure before him. He could tell it was a girl, but her features were so vague that he could only see auburn hair and big blue eyes. Her dress was the exact same lavender hue as the mist around them, almost as if she was part of it…

…

Present Day…

"Cedric, are you feeling okay?"

Cedric blinked, shaking his head. That was a weird feeling, he thought. He'd been standing there in his workshop listening to Sofia talking about one thing or another, when he suddenly felt an odd sense of familiarity. Was it the lavender dress she was wearing? Or the way her hair was styled today? He couldn't be sure. Seeing the concerned look she was giving him, he shrugged and smiled. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look overwhelmed." A soft smile crossed her lips as she reached up to cup his cheek.

"Perhaps I am," he laughed. "Did I tell you how lovely you look?"

"You say that every day," she giggled.

"And I mean it every day." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. "You're the most beautiful girl in the Ever Realm."

"Oh, Cedric…" Anything else the princess might have said was cut off when he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, raising one hand to run her fingers through his silky hair.

…

In Mystic Meadows, Winifred giggled giddily as she sealed the portal through which she had just been watching Cedric and Sofia via the portrait of her and Goodwyn in the royal sorcerer's workshop. Turning to her husband, she declared proudly, "Mark my words, Goody. There will be a wedding soon."

Goodwyn merely raised a brow and turned a page in the book he was reading. "If you say so, dear."

The old sorceress shook her head, heading to the kitchen to start dinner. I told you, Ceddykins. You would find your soul mate when it was meant to happen.

A/N: Okay, this may not be what today's prompt, Lavender Dreams, called for, but this is what came to mind, so… I hope you enjoyed.