AU: Strangers, Fated Meeting, and Winter Warmth~
Her footsteps crunching in the snow made the only sound for miles as she walked deeper into the winter forest as she'd done many a time before. The cold night made many wary to be amongst mother nature, but the eerie blue glow provided by the full moon on the white landscape looked so inviting and tempting whispers from the north wind beckoned her further. Magic was at work this night, she could sense it and would not question it for it was a gift to be surrounded by such beauty and wonder.
Sofia blended in well to the world around her, clad in white robes and gown, her copper hair cascaded over her shoulders, her icy blue eyes glancing up to the heavens in expectation of the northern lights at play, but she bore witness to only stars and planets twinkling above her, concealing the mystery of what compelled her presence this particular evening.
Pressing onward, she found what might be the answer standing in a clearing, his head tilted up, perhaps questioning the skies for his own answers. His robes were all black, making him stand out against the white backdrop. The wind caressed his grey bangs into the rest of his dark hair causing him to turn away from the chill, wrap his cloak tightly around him, and regret ever venturing so deep into the wood for no good reason.
His shivering caught the girl's attention, compassion taking hold of her heart and directing her steps toward him.
He caught sight of her before she could speak, startling him. He turned on his boots and faced her down like a cornered beast, scared and unpredictable, but she had no fear of him it seemed, not detouring from her intended route until she paused a few feet in front of him.
"You look cold," she said, noticing how he held his cloak around his slender frame despite the thickness of his clothes.
"It is cold," he told her quite matter-of-factly.
She smiled, his abrasive tone couldn't scratch her politeness. "Might you join me then?"
He eyed her skeptically as she drew a dark length of wood with a curled handle from her sleeve, a wand he recognized, and watched as she spun it once, summoning a collection of kindling, twigs, and branches from the surrounding woods into a growing circlet containing both of them.
A small campfire built itself and was ignited from another flick of her wand, its warmth quickly inviting him to sit beside it as she spun her wand one more time, raising the walls of the circlet to the height of her shoulders, providing shelter from the wind as she sheathed the tool back within her sleeve and took a seat opposite the man.
"Are you a sorceress?" He asked out of curiosity.
"Sadly my skills aren't yet that great," she admitted, a tad embarrassed she couldn't yet claim such a title. "I'm a novice, but I make great use out of what I do know. I'm Sofia."
"I never discount creativity when it comes to magic, my dear Sofia," he said with a knowing smirk as he produced his own wand, a lightning shaped length of silver wood, and with a swish and a flick, downed the trees outlining the clearing, cut and carved them, and built a small wood cabin around them, a wooden floor sliding underneath them even and moving the fire to a fireplace now build from summoned and cut rock.
It was a level of magic she'd never been witness to before, putting her in awe of the man beside her: a true sorcerer. "That… This is amazing!"
"Is it really?" He said with a cocky smile. "It's such an easy feat, I often forget if it's impressive or not."
"Oh, but it is!" She exclaimed, leaning closer to him. "How wonderful you must be! Perhaps I've heard of you!"
"Perhaps you have," he said, smile sustaining. "I'm Cedric the Sorcerer."
Sofia felt a chill run down her spine, not from his tone, but from her memory, and rumors of a terrible sorcerer who caused chaos and mayhem wherever he went.
His smile waned at her reaction. "…Does my reputation proceed me?"
She slowly nodded her head, but felt slightly confused. He didn't seem the sort of man capable of such egregious acts as burning down half a village and turning a mayor into a frog, but those were the only stories she knew.
"Then I shall take my leave," he announced, standing to approach the door.
"Wait!" She grabbed the hem of his cloak, stopping him. "There must be some mistake. The stories of Cedric the Sorcerer paint you as a villain."
"And to many, I am."
She felt a pang of sympathy for him in her heart. The man before her was no villain. This must be the reason she was drawn out tonight, to meet him, to learn the truth. "Come sit with me."
He hesitated, but obeyed, taking a seat beside her in front of the fire to tell her his story. "When they call me 'terrible', it has less to do with my intent and more with my spell work… I get nervous performing for crowds, spells go wrong, accidents happen. I tried to cure an ill mayor and ending up turning him into a frog instead of clearing the one in his throat. I wasn't even given a chance to reverse it before an angry mob chased me out of town."
"But you did just fine with me," she pointed out.
"Yes, well, you're hardly intimidating," he said with a smirk.
Sofia didn't want to admit it, but that was probably true. Her mind began to drift much like the snow around their impromptu cabin before it returned to her in a rush of brilliance. "Oh! I have a great idea! You should take me on your apprentice, Mr. Cedric!"
"What?" He replied in disbelief.
"You clearly are an incredible sorcerer, you just have a bit of stage fright, yes? Well, train me! Then when we go to villages and I perform, I can tell them how great you really are and improve your public image!"
She seemed so enthusiastic about it, Cedric initially wondered if he should agree, but his pessimism quickly caught up with him. "If you became my apprentice, all that would await you is ridicule and loneliness. I won't put someone with a bright future through such torment."
"But if I'm with you, neither of us will be alone," she smiled, reaching a hand over to touch his.
He looked down at her gloved hand overlaid on his, heavily contemplating the offer. "You're a very kind woman, Sofia…"
"Then are you going to let me help you?"
"I want you to prove your conviction," he said, leaning closer to her.
"O-Okay," she blushed as he drew near. "How?"
"Warm me," he answered, sneaking a hand around the back of her neck and pulling her into a kiss to make sure she understood his implications.
Sofia understood. Although hesitant, she unknotted the ties to his cloak and slipped it off his shoulders as they slowly kissed, his mouth commanding a passion she'd never felt before. He was firm, but very gentle which gave her no cause to fear his affections. If anything, she grew curious about his offer as their clothes were shed and laid out on the floor as makeshift bedding, their two naked forms now touching and building on an internal heat that made them both restless.
"You're absolutely breathtaking…" Cedric said as he loomed over her, drinking in the sight of her as his fingertips glided along her outline.
"Mm!" Sofia moaned, feeling him flick her nipples before cupping her breasts to squeeze and knead.
Cedric's mouth latch over her left nipple and began sucking gently, his tongue caressing the stiffened bud causing her moans to increase. It'd been some time since he had the pleasure of a woman's company to chase away the chill and loneliness of an evening. He did question taking advantage of her, but he was a selfish man, desperate for affection he too often had to pay for and here it was being given to him in earnest. Sofia's hands were exploring him with more intrigue than he expected – perhaps she too needed this exchange. To feel… something.
"A-Ah!" She let out a shaky gasp as his elongated fingers reached between her legs, finding a dampness pooling there in anticipation of sex.
He released her nipple from his mouth, leaning up to watch her expression as he located and stroked her clit, the poor reddening pearl now at the mercy of precise fingertips, producing from her the most beautiful cries of pleasure. She must be sensitive, he thought, never recalling his skills doing much for other women.
"Cedric…!" Sofia gasped after a particularly hard shudder from her lower half, her arms seizing him around his neck and pulling him down into a kiss. She'd never felt so alive, her body on fire and her mind desiring to see it burn.
"Heh," he smiled into their kiss, charmed by her passion. "I've never heard my name called so sweetly before."
"You haven't…?" She asked, slowing her ardor to let him speak.
"No," he admitted shamefully, yet still smiled at her. "Say it again."
"Cedric," she repeated, pulling him closer to whisper it against his ear and take a playful nip of the lobe that sent his fingers tickling up her sides as he positioned himself between her legs, his hard cock already searching for her entrance as the head kissed her folds. His dipped his hips forward, convinced they were properly aligned, and yet despite her wetness their seemed to be some resistance and tension in her hold.
"Um, Sofia," Cedric cleared his throat and tried not to blush too brightly as he made his inquiry. "Have you… done this before?"
"Should I have…?" She gazed up at him with innocent blue eyes that truly made him feel villainous now.
"I don't need the pressure of taking anyone's virginity, thank you," he told her, sounding a bit cross, but unable to move himself away from her.
"But I want you to." She said rather matter-of-factly.
"Want me to? You just met me!" Like he was anyone to talk, but this girl was going to get herself eaten alive if this intervention wasn't had.
"Is this not what you want…?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head. Usually she found herself drawn out to help some injured animal or lost traveler. Tonight she assumed she was meant to meet and comfort this misunderstood soul. She'd never so carelessly bed a man otherwise, but the moment he suggested they make love, it was a far more illustrious idea than becoming his apprentice. She hadn't hesitated, though she was a little nervous.
"What I…" Cedric was thoroughly confused now. Was she loose from some insane asylum? Or worse, a snow woman who'd take his soul after he willingly laid with her, but that didn't seem possible. There was nothing but goodness in those eyes, goodness he didn't feel he deserved. Someone as pure as the freshly fallen snow shouldn't be touched by what he was, trudged through slush.
"What are you afraid of?" Sofia asked gently, sitting up as she sensed his inner conflict and found herself further convinced she was doing exactly what needed be done.
"I'm not afraid!" He said defensively, but after a quick think on it, perhaps he was. Fear that this wasn't real, no comfort for his wary bones or weary soul, just the cold winter and the silent stars. She'd appeared out of no where after all, talked to him without hesitation, and freely offered to wrap him in warm arms – if only he'd gone mad, perhaps he'd be enjoying himself about now, but no. He was too suspicious of the world, too jaded to believe in a different kind of magic.
Sofia lifted her hands back up to cup his cheeks, tilting his head to look up at her as she slid onto his lap, one hand now in his hair and the other stroking his jawline. She could hear him crying out, pleading for something… Recognition? Affection? No, something more… Something deeper, and yet overflowing from her heart. Love. Yes, that was it, and he craved it. She acted swiftly, lifting her hips to slide his still stiffened cock between her legs, feeling it press against her folds, slowly parting them as she lowered herself onto him with a restrained gasp.
Cedric latched around her middle in shock, half of him screaming to pull her off while the other wanted to pull her down. In the end, he simply held her as she settled onto his lap, all of him now in awe of her. "Sofia…"
"I'm alright," she smiled, hearing the concern in his voice, and kissed the side of his mouth as she wrapped her arms and legs around him as tightly as she could so prove she wasn't going to let go of him.
"You are… very peculiar," he commented with some mirth as he hugged her, just enjoying the warmth of her for the moment.
"Yep," she said, unabashed, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Let me know when you're ready."
"Okay," he replied softly, his aura finally calming. After a few minutes, his body's urge to move finally compelled him to turn his head and kiss her cheek, prompting Sofia to lean back and tilt her head once more to kiss his lips, this time with reserved ardor as Cedric carefully laid her down on their bedding of clothes to continue where they'd left off.
She called his name many times as he thrust into her, wanting as much of him as he was willing to give her. His touch was adoring, his kisses meant to be cherished, and as they passed the night in a tantric embrace, entertained the thought perhaps she had called to him.
It didn't seem to matter come morning when the fire in the hearth was down to embers and they were still tangled in each other, warm, comfortable, and exhausted from making love.
Sofia giggled when she felt his hand searching through the clothes and enjoyed the sensation until he found what he was after, his wand, and relit the fireplace. "Mm… Good morning, Cedric."
"…Good morning," he said shyly, not used to exchanging pleasantries the morning after, although he was so bold as to spoon up behind her and plant a kiss on her shoulder. He could get used to this, he thought, and Sofia must have been thinking the same.
"How about I become both your apprentice and your lover?" She suggested, bringing a defeated smile to his face.
"That sounds wonderful."
Author's Note: Wanted to try writing a short one-shot which is extremely difficult for me given how I like to create endless tales usually XD