Moonlit Stroll

Sofia sighed and sat up in bed. For roughly an hour, she had lain awake staring up at the dark canopy over her bed willing herself to fall asleep. But sleep just wouldn't come, and, judging by how wide awake she was, it would probably be a while before she finally did fall asleep. Deciding to take a walk, the young woman pushed the covers back and got out of bed. She reached for her light purple robe, slipping it on over her nightgown. After slipping her feet into warm slippers, she left her bedroom.

It was past midnight, and almost everyone in the castle, save a few guards, had retired for the night. Sofia tiptoed through the hallways to a door that led to the gardens. Once outside, she took a deep breath of fresh, crisp air. It was a beautiful, clear autumn night. Stars twinkled like tiny diamonds against the velvety black sky, and the Harvest Moon, large and bright this year, bathed the world in its silver light. Sofia smiled to herself as she walked, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, but a sudden rustling noise alerted her to another presence. Blinking, she was surprised to realize that she was now in a part of the gardens that was quite far from the door she'd come out of. And standing just a few feet in front of her, an amused expression on his face, was Cedric.

"Sofia, what are you doing out here?" he asked quietly.

"I couldn't sleep," she confessed. "So I decided to take a walk." She gave him a curious look. "And what are you doing out here, O Sleepless One?"

Cedric smirked. "Cute, Princess. Really cute." His smirk melted into a genuine smile as she giggled. "I'm actually out here to collect Moonlight Flowers. They only grow once a year, on the night of the Harvest Moon." He indicated the empty basket he was carrying.

"I've never seen Moonlight Flowers," she said thoughtfully. "Can I help you pick them?"

His smile widened. "I can always use some help from my favorite princess." He took her hand and led her around a tall hedge a short distance away. "Here we are."

Sofia's gasped. "Oh, wow!" Before her stood several stalks of what appeared to be sunflowers, but as she observed them, she could see a few things that set them apart. Instead of yellow or orange, these flowers were silver and white. Each blossom was glowing like a tiny moon. Sofia moved close to one stalk and reached out to gently caress a flower with her fingers, smiling when she touched the soft petals. "They're so pretty," she said softly.

The sorcerer just shrugged. "I suppose they do have a unique beauty if you like flowers that glow." He plucked a few flowers and put them in his basket. "But I'm more concerned with how potent they are."

The princess just smiled and shook her head as she started picking the glowing flowers.

The two of them worked in silence for a few minutes before Cedric decided they had collected enough. He used his wand and sent the basket back to his tower. Hearing a yawn, he turned to Sofia, who was covering her mouth.

"Are you getting tired?" he asked, moving closer and wrapping an arm around her.

"Yeah," she admitted sleepily as she leaned against him. "I feel like I can finally go to sleep."

"Well, don't fall asleep now," he insisted, nodding in the direction of the castle. "We have quite a long walk ahead of us."

Sofia blinked and moved away from him and looked in the direction he indicated. The castle was about a quarter mile away. Sometimes she forgot just how big the castle grounds really were. Turning back to the sorcerer, she sighed wearily. "I guess I deserve this for walking all the way out here." She took a few steps but gasped when the sorcerer grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to his side. "Cedric?"

"I'll take you back to your room," he said simply.

She shook her head. "That's not really necessary. I can–" Her free hand suddenly flew up to cover her mouth as a huge yawn escaped her lips.

Cedric smirked as he released her wrist and instead wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'd rather not have you collapsing halfway to the castle because you said you could walk." He shook his head when she looked as if she wanted to protest. "No, Sofia. I'll take you to your room, and that's final."

Sofia was too tired to argue, so she just nodded. "Fine." Wrapping one arm around him, she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Her heart fluttered hopefully as she waited for Cedric to pick her up and carry her inside the castle. It was childish she knew, but how else did he intend to get back to her room? She smiled to herself, anticipating the feeling of falling asleep in his arms…

"We're here," Cedric announced proudly.

"Huh?" How could they be at her room already? They hadn't even moved. The princess blinked her eyes open, and lifted her head from his shoulder, looking around. Sure enough, they were in the hall outside her bedroom door with a few wisps of green smoke lingering in the air around them. "You teleported us here?" she asked, feeling a little disappointed that he hadn't carried her.

"Of course," he responded. "How else would I have gotten us here?"

Sofia could feel her cheeks growing hot. Not wanting to admit her childish folly, she shrugged. "I guess I'll get to bed." Rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed his lips softly. "Good night, Cedric."

"Good night, my dear. Sleep well." He smiled and waited until she closed her bedroom door before teleporting to his tower.

Once she was back in her room, the princess let out a heavy sigh. Did I really think he would carry me here? she chided herself as she slipped out of her robe. It would have been nice though. She smiled as she crawled onto her bed and lay down, pulling the covers around her and snuggling into the pillows. She was asleep almost immediately dreaming of her sorcerer carrying her across a meadow.

A/N: This may not be one of my best. It's a story I didn't finish in time for Halloween. I actually finished it right after STFSAW, but I wasn't sure I wanted to post it. it needed to be moved out of my WIP folder, so… this story is for the Moonlit Harvest prompt. By the way, I'm going to try getting a few stories up the week of Christmas. You can check my bio if you want to see what I have planned.