*Just a friendly disclaimer. I don't own any rights to Sofia the First. Sofia the First and the characters herein is/are the property of Disney and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

~A/N: I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for sticking with me; I know I might not always update often but I'm determined to see this story out. Also, I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews! It really means alot to me when I see the notification that I have a new review! Even if its just a few words of encouragement, its enough to keep me going! It means the world to me to hear everyones feedback, so please let me know how I'm doing. Again, thanks guys, you're all the best!

CHAPTER 13

MY FUNNY VALENTINE

Groggily, Cedric rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The sunlight was no longer shining directly into the tower. It has to be close to noon. He noted through half closed eyes; the light made his head ache, but his migraine was receding, it was at a manageable level now. Noon... that's when Sofia has to leave... Poseidon's pumpkins, what if someone finds her here! Cedric's heart skipped a beat at the mortifying thought of Baileywick discovering them in bed together. His breath stilled at the idea of the king finding out that his youngest daughter had spent the night drunk and half naked in the royal sorcerer's bed. Involuntarily his hand snaked its way up to his throat. He licked his lips, his tongue felt like sandpaper; an audible gulp escaped his dry throat.

Cedric flung the covers off and sat upright in the bed. "Sofia! We have to get -" his words faltered upon seeing that the space beside him was empty. "Sofia?" He called out looking around the room for the princess. Her robe is gone... Slowly he got to his feet and fetched his own robe before making his way upstairs. "Sofia, are you up there?" He listened intently for an answer; for any sign that she was in the tower at all. Have I gone crazy... she was here...wasn't she? He thought looking around the workshop from the top of the stairs. "Hmmm... maybe she's in the study?" He mumbled aloud to himself as he poked his head into the turret room. Cedric shook his head and walked over to the liquor cabinet. Everything is in its proper place... He turned his eyes towards the floor by his chair and the fireplace. I could have swore she left her glass there... He picked the leather-bound sketchbook up off of the endtable and flipped it open to the most recent drawing.

There from within its pages was Sofia's soft gaze staring back at him. How odd, I remember drawing... but I swear... I know... She was here...Surely the absinthe wasn't that strong... Cedric thought, as he gently ran his fingertips over the drawing, as if he was touching the real thing instead. "Surely I didn't dream her..."

It was mid-day and the sunlight sparkled across the ponds clear blue water. The garden was full of life; the enchanted roses trilled a beautiful high soprano while the calla-lilies sang a euphonious alto, the snap dragons crooned a harmonious tenor line while the delphiniums hummed a solid bass, the bluebells dinged and chimed while the bleeding hearts thumped out a bewitching rhythm.

"Oh, Sofia it's so good to see you! I missed you terribly while you were gone!" Princess Vivian cried enveloping Sofia with a tight hug.

"I missed you too Vivian! I'm so glad that you were able to have me over on such short notice."

"Oh, don't mention it Sofia. I'll always make time for you." The shy princess assured her best friend with a soft smile.

"Here, this is for you. It's from Corona." Sofia said holding out the intricate mandolin before her, watching intently as her friend's eyes lit up at the sight of the instrument.

"Oh, Sofia, you didn't... It's beautiful!" Vivian exclaimed, her eyes wandering over the smooth rosewood and ivory pickguard.

"I couldn't resist when I saw it. Here." She said urging Vivian to take it. "Give it a try." Vivian nodded and gave the stings a quick strum. She slightly adjusted a few of its pegs to properly tune the instrument and began to pluck out a fast-paced jig. The flowers around them began to accompany the princess; the lilly of the valley produced a melodious violin, and the lupines resonated a smooth cello. The girls smiled at one another as the enchanted garden prompted Vivian to keep playing. Sofia nodded her head and clapped her hands to the beat of the jig. After a few moments Vivian ended her song and the flowers changed their tune once again.

"Oh, its lovely Sofia! I can't thank you enough!"

"Don't mention it. You sound wonderful! You've gotten better while I was away!"

"I've had more time to practice since we graduated." She muttered laying the mandolin down gently on the tablecloth at their feet. "But enough about me, you have pressing matters we must discuss, right?" She asked kneeling to take a few sandwiches from a large picnic basket.

"Oh, Vivian, I hardly know where to begin! So much has happened in the past few days." Sofia said settling down on the large tablecloth Vivian had spread out for them to have their picnic on.

"Well, we have all day, so just take your time. I'm here to listen to whatever you want to tell me." Vivian assured her friend as she removed a large bowl of mixed berries from the basket, as well as a medium bowl of pasta salad.

"Thank you, Vivian. It really does mean a lot to me."

"What a friend's for, right?" She smiled handing Sofia a charcuterie board with multiple local cheeses, a few different loaves of bread, and a couple small rolls of crackers. "Here, I made your favorite." She said sliding over a sandwich wrapped in butchers paper. "Peanut-butter, apple, and brie with a schmear of fig jam on slightly toasted brioche."

"Oh, Vivian I haven't had one of these since I went away! Thank you!" Sofia exclaimed, eagerly unwrapping the sandwich, while Vivian poured her a glass of iced tea.

"You're welcome. I missed our weekly picnics while you were away. I wanted this one to be just the same as before." Vivian said scooping a large spoonful of pasta salad into her bowl.

"This is nice. I was so busy while I was away, I almost forgot how to relax like this." She replied, taking a bite from her sandwich savoring its sweet and piquant flavors. "This is delicious Vivian!"

"Good, I was afraid it wouldn't turn out right." She laughed, before taking a bite of her pasta. "So, what happened the night of your ball? You just disappeared."

Sofia breathed deeply, and slowly exhaled; calming her nerves the best she could. "Well, I suppose I'll be straight forward; this has to do with Hugo... and Cedric."

"Oh dear, the both of them?" The shy princess asked, her hand moving to cover her gaping mouth.

"Yes... You see the other night at the ball... Hugo, ummm..."

"He was kind of all over you... What did he do?" The other princess inquired taking a sip of her ice tea.

"I went outside and he followed me... He pinned me up against a tree..."

Vivian inhaled sharply, covering her open mouth with her hand again. "He didn't...?" She inquired, leaving the thought unsaid.

"He tried."

"Oh, Sofia! I'm so sorry! He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No; he kissed me... touched me... but before he could do anything worse Cedric stopped him." Sofia said, setting her sandwich down deciding to eat a few berries instead while she told her story.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"He was so brave Vivian, I've never seen Cedric like that before. He was so furious but his only thought was to protect me. He stood up to everyone for my sake."

"Cedric, really? Doesn't he just normally turn to jelly at the sight of your dad, let alone confrontation?"

Sofia laughed "Yes, normally he is quite nervous and quiet around most people. Which really surprised me and made me happy that he acted how he did... It was dark and they couldn't see me behind him, they could only see him pointing his wand at Hugo. Hugo lied to everyone's faces... He tried telling them Cedric had me under a spell... King Garrick tried to have the guards capture Cedric. Finally, my mom got everything under control... I told them what happened and Dad demanded that Hugo and his family leave at once. And... at that point I didn't want to talk about it to my parents, so I convinced them I was fine and was going to go on to bed." Sofia told her friend, as she pieced on a cracker with a smear of camembert and berry spread.

"I have a feeling that you didn't go to bed though..."

"I didn't... Cedric offered to let me help him with his potions." Sofia replied taking a long draught of her tea.

"I also have the feeling something finally happened between the two of you." Vivian giggled.

"Finally?" Sofia asked the still giggling princess.

"Oh, Sofia everyone knows how close the two of you are. I've been waiting years for you to tell me that you finally kissed him or something."

"Really?" Sofia blushed, looking away from her friend to collect herself.

"Yeah, the boys from Royal Prep actually gave up trying to court you because they saw how close you and Cedric are." Vivian admitted.

"I had no idea..."

"I don't mean to pry... but what happened when you got up to Mr. Magic's tower?" She pressed, taking a bite of her tea sandwich; which consisted of prosciutto, goat cheese, basil, and arugula on a thin white bread.

"Oh, we worked on his potions, then I showed him how I had made and enchanted the dress I was wearing."

"You made that gown?" Vivian asked, almost choking on her sandwich.

"Yeah, with the use of some magic Cedric taught me and things mom had taught me while we lived in the village."

"I always forget your mom was a cobbler before... but Sofia, you're amazing, that dress was beautiful. What did he say?"

"Well, he was really impressed with how I had enchanted it to glow." She said a large grin spreading across her face.

"And..?"

"He might have let it slip that he thought I looked 'gorgeous'." She mumbled, a bright red blush filling her cheeks.

"I knew it!" Vivian exclaimed smiling at her friend. Sofia blushed deeper, and busied herself with taking a few nibbles of her sandwich.

"Well, there's more... a lot more actually." Vivian raised a curious eyebrow at Sofia. "Well, at that point, what Hugo had done was still fresh in my mind... I couldn't shake feeling of him touching me; I wanted a bath and to change honestly. Cedric got an old robe of his and transfigured it into a dress for me, so I could change... only, well I was laced so tightly into my corset that I couldn't get it off on my own..."

"No! Sofia, he didn't..." Vivian asked almost dropping her sandwich into her lap in shock.

"He just unlaced me is all... He was very polite and sweet the whole time I was there. I changed, in private," She emphasized."and helped with his potion. I wasn't sleepy so I told him to get some rest while I finished working. Of course, he said how inappropriate that would be... but he was so tired, he had been working on those potions for King Magnus all week... I convinced him to go lay down... He joked and said I sounded like his mother." Sofia laughed, remembering how Cedric had smiled at her. "So... I might have teased him back, Ms. Winifred calls him Ceddy or Ceddykins."

"You didn't!" Vivian giggled with Sofia.

"I did." She smiled. "And quite a bit, then he might have tickled me to get me to stop..."

"Sofia that's sooo cute. He really seems like a sweet guy deep down." Vivan admitted finishing off her tea.

"He is, and before now... I had only a few thoughts of him in that kind of light. But now... Everything feels different. I accidently fell asleep in the tower, he woke me up because I was having a nightmare about Hugo... he just held me and let me cry. He was so tender and caring. The morning after the ball we had to have a meeting with Hugo and his father to decide what should be done, and surprisingly enough he agreed to my conditions. He's supposed to give me space for a while and had to apologize to me." Sofia laughed before continuing. "Cedric wanted to turn him into a worm, he was so furious I think he would have if I had let him." Sofia laughed again; this time she was joined by her friend.

"That would fit him just fine. I can't believe he forced himself on you like that, I mean I can its Hugo... but to think he would get away with it... or that you would just let him! The gall!" Vivian seethed.

"I don't know what I would have done if Cedric hadn't been there."

"Your knight in shining armor." Vivian winked at her.

"Yeah, I guess, I'm just not for certain how he feels about me though. And you won't believe what I did last night..." Vivian arched an eyebrow yet again. Sofia finished her sandwich and her glass of tea before continuing, leaving Vivian in suspense. "I couldn't sleep and saw a light in his tower, so I went up there... but I couldn't find him... next thing I knew he was standing in the study doorway... in nothing but his underwear..." Vivian's hand flew to her mouth to cover her audible gasp.

"No! What did you do?" She asked her cheeks flushing at the idea of her friend with the older man in such a delicate manner.

"He was so nonchalant about it..." She shrugged. "And... he is quite handsome without his baggy robe..." She blushed. "He asked me to make us some tea, and then apologized to me because he was drunk." Sofia laughed. "I told him that his actions made sense then, and that I wouldn't have minded a drink myself. So he made me a drink and we talked for a bit. I saw his sketchpad... it had a drawing of me in it, he's so talented, it looked just like me! Then he got pouty, said that it was my birthday present and hadn't meant for me to see it until then. He was so sweet. I was a little intoxicated by then... and we were both sleepy..."

"Sofia..."

"So, I kinda pulled him into his bed with me... and might have kissed his neck a few times before I fell asleep..."

"That's something I would expect to hear from Amber but not you!" She teased. "You didn't... I mean you all didn't... you know...Did you?"

"Vivian!" Sofia exclaimed blushing at the thought. "Of course not! Although, this morning... Well, I've never been one to pay attention boys or read those romance novels like Hildegard and Amber... He had to explain some things to me..."

"What do you mean?" Vivian asked, plucking a few berries from the bowl and slowly bringing them to her mouth.

"Well, I thought he was... aroused..."

Vivian had to cover her mouth yet again; the princesses was so shocked from her friend's statement that she almost spat out her berries in surprise. "Oh! Morning wood?! Really, even I know about that Sof." Vivian laughed, finally regaining he senses.

"Anyways..." Sofia went on ignoring Vivian's fit of giggles. "He didn't freak out or anything about waking up together." She smiled, recalling how kind and genteel Cedric had been that morning. "He had a bit of a hangover however, so we went back to sleep. I had to leave before he woke up though, I felt bad for leaving him without saying goodbye, but he looked so peaceful..." She stated, remembering how handsome he had looked as he slept.

"Oh, you have it bad girl."

"Have what?"

"You're in love with him Sofia." Vivian giggled.

Sofia sighed. "But...but what if he doesn't feel the same way about me, Vivian?"

"Well, I can't imagine he wouldn't have some feelings for you after all these years. And I mean you just said you shared his bed last night, and got up close and personal with him half naked." She winked wickedly at her friend. "That must mean he's comfortable with you and has some kind of feelings for you."

Sofia groaned and laid back onto the tablecloth. "But it's not like Dad would ever approve; they grew up together too. In reality Cedric is more than twice my age. And not a royal at that... We could never be together even if we wanted to..."

"I don't think anyone would be surprised that you want to marry for love, Sofia. That's just who you are. And James is the crown prince, in fact he's the only one who has to carry on the royal line... and technically you don't have the royal blood, so it shouldn't matter who you marry really, especially if that's what you want. I don't think your mom would mind, I mean she married into royalty, right?"

"True. I just don't know if it would be that simple. And first I have to make sure he returns my feelings... I don't want to lose our friendship, though." Sofia sighed, rubbing her face with both hands in frustration.

"Then maybe test him a little more?" The shy princess suggested.

"How though?" Sofia asked turning to her friend.

"Just keep spending time with him and you'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."

"That's easier said than done." She grunted, covering her eyes with the back of her arm, in a dramatic 'Cedric like' way.

"I know, but this is something you have to figure out and do on your own. But I'm almost certain it'll work out in the end. I told you everyone has thought for years that you two were secretly in love."

"How could I have been so blind Vivian?"

"They say that love is blind. But that's good; you're friends first and foremost, isn't that what we all really want and need from our partner?" Vivian replied, smiling tenderly down at her best friend.

"True. I just have to work up the nerve now without the liquid courage." She said sitting up, drawing her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Just be yourself Sofia. If he really loves you, that's what he wants. And you two won't be able to stay apart long, now, not after last night, anyway." She winked. "You'll keep me posted on your progress, right?"

Sofia rolled her eyes and the two girls fell into a fit of laughter, just like old times.