Chapter 1

It was a fairly normal day in Enchancia. Well, it was about as normal of a day as one could expect in an enchanted world. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. And, because it was spring, flowers of different varieties and colors were in bloom.

Cedric and Sofia were in the princess's secret garden having a picnic lunch. It was one of those rare days when neither of them had any duties to fulfill. So they had decided to spend time together and just enjoy the quiet. The only thing Cedric had had to do that morning was restock his allergy potion. Knowing her sorcerer was allergic to dandelions, Sofia had made sure there were no flowers of that variety in her garden, something that didn't go unnoticed, especially because the rest of the gardens were full of the pesky blossoms.

Cedric sat on the blanket they had laid out, watching the princess as she pulled a covered plate from the picnic basket. He thought she looked radiant in the pink and white dress she'd chosen for the day, but then he thought she looked radiant every day.

Sofia smiled happily as she uncovered the plate, revealing two beautifully made fly cakes. She handed one to Cedric, humming softly as her fingers brushed against his. "It's such a nice day," she said, taking a bite of her own dessert.

"It is," he said, taking a small bite of his cupcake and chewing absentmindedly.

Sofia's brows furrowed as she gave him a curious look. "You've been pretty quiet today. Is everything okay?" While she generally did most of the talking between them, the sorcerer hadn't really said much since they came out here. There must have been something on his mind. Suddenly, she gasped as a thought occurred to her. "Cedric… Is your mom all right?" During the past winter, Winifred had become sick with a mysterious illness. At one point, it had been doubted she would live to see spring, but, miraculously, the old sorceress had recovered, though she still had moments of weakness.

Cedric blinked. "Mother is fine," he assured her, smiling as she seemed to relax. He set his fly cake aside and reached inside his robe, checking the inside pocket to be sure a small box was still there. He had been waiting for the perfect time to ask Sofia a certain question. They had been courting for over six months, and Roland had gladly given Cedric permission to marry his youngest daughter the previous day. Now all that was left to do was for him to propose. It's about as perfect a time as it can get, he thought, watching the princess finish her dessert. We're out here in the secret garden where no one will bother us. What can happen? He cleared his throat, garnering her attention. "I… um… I have something to ask you."

"Oh, really?" She smiled brightly after wiping her mouth with a linen napkin. "What is it?"

The sorcerer moved closer to her, taking her hand in one of his, while the fingers of his other hand closed around the box in his inner pocket. Taking a deep breath, he started to ask, "Sofia, will you–"

Sofia suddenly gasped when she felt the familiar sensation around her right wrist that meant one of the Protectors was calling her. "Sorry, Cedric. I have to see what's going on." She gave him an apologetic smile as she pulled her hand free, activating her Enchantlet, revealing the caller to be her former trainer. "Hi, Chrysta!"

"Hey there, Princess," the fairy grinned. "Are you busy?"

"No," Sofia said with a smile.

"Yes," Cedric said with a scowl.

"Oh, is that the twig I hear?" Chrysta asked with a playful smirk.

Cedric huffed indignantly and moved into her line of sight. "I am not a twig, you overgrown fly."

"Cedric!" Sofia cried, giving him a reprimanding look. "That's not nice."

"She started it," he said defensively, pointing at the fairy, who was still smirking. "And I'll have you know, I'm not all skin and bones. I do have muscles."

"Really?" Chrysta raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I've never seen you lift anything heavier than your wand."

Cedric opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Sofia spoke up, "Guys, please, just stop." She gave the sorcerer a light push, indicating for him to move out of the fairy's view. He grumbled a bit as he scooted away. Sighing, Sofia turned back to the older Protector. "Chrysta, what's going on?"

"I have a mission for you," she responded. "I've already sent Skye to bring you up here so we can discuss it." She hummed thoughtfully before adding, "Actually… Bring your sorcerer." A mischievous smile crossed her face.

"Okay. We'll be there soon." Sofia deactivated her Enchantlet and glanced toward the sulking sorcerer, who sat with his arms folded and a very irritated look on his face. "Cedric," she said softly, moving closer to him and unfolding his arms so she could hold his hands. "I know you don't like Chrysta very much, but you know... She's a great person when you get to know her. Could you at least try to get along? Please."

Cedric heaved a huge sigh. "Oh, very well. I'll try to get along with that oh– so–charming fairy."

"Yay!" the princess enthused, throwing her arms around him in a quick hug. When she pulled away, she gave him a bright smile. "So, what were you going to ask me?"

"O–Oh, um… I–It can wait until later," he stammered, silently cursing Chrysta for calling at the exact same moment he was asking such a life changing question.

"Oh, okay." She shrugged and gestured toward his unfinished fly cake. "Finish your dessert while I clean up. Skye will be here soon to take us to the Mystic Isles." With that, she started gathering plates, cups, and utensils, and putting them back in the picnic basket.

Halfheartedly, the sorcerer picked up the remainder of his favorite treat. So much for the perfect time, he thought with a dejected sigh, finishing the small cake.

A/N: This is my WiP of the week, so I got this chapter done. This is the first time I've written for Chrysta. I hope I did well.

By the way, CedfiaWeek was AWESOME!