*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.

CHAPTER 15

PUT YOUR DREAMS AWAY

Sofia took deep breath in through her parched mouth, the moist air from the stone tower replenished her saliva enough to ease the sting of air moving over her tongue, and expelled it through her nose in a therapeutic manner. She gave the workshop door her signature swift triad knock and waited with bated breath for the sorcerer to give her access to his dwelling; needing to see him, needing to release her emotions and thoughts to the man before she lost her nerve.

"Ah, Princess, I thought that was your flying coach."

Sofia jumped slightly, surprised by Cedric's sudden appearance. Cedric gave her a soft smile as he slid past her to unlock the tower door. She could see perspiration on his brow and smell the musty hint of dirt on his clothes. She gave him a quick onceover as he shoved open the heavy wood door and motioned for her to enter before him. His vest hung open loosely over his token moss-green shirt, which was unbuttoned partially, revealing the pale skin of his chest beneath it.

"What on Earth have you been up to?" She muttered, brushing her hand across his bare chest, to his sleeve, knocking loose a large cloud of dust. His heart skipped at beat at the princess's soft caress, but he ignored it. They had things they needed to discuss, things such as that; the innate easiness they both had fallen into when in each other's presence lately. Cedric rolled his eyes and groaned. Despite his thoughts, his hand softly settled on her lower back and pressed her forward into the room.

"I was at the village." He grumbled as he shut the door gently behind them.

"Doing what?" Sofia laughed as she watched her teacher hang his robe up on the coat rack beside the entry door. "I've never seen you this dirty before; not even when we went to gather materials." She snickered. Cedric groaned again as he crossed the room, heading towards the stairs that led to his bedchambers, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

"Those two friends of yours roped me into helping them with the village garden."

"You mean Ruby and Jade?"

"The same." He replied sliding off his vest as he made his way down the stone stairs, flinging it to a nearby chair once he passed the threshold of his chambers. He gave his hand a flick towards the washbasin, filling it with cool water while he peeled his dirt covered gloves off, tossing them to the side as well. Slowly, Sofia poked her head around the doorframe. She stood their silently watching Cedric as he splashed his face with cool water, washing away the sweat and dirt. She quietly observed him in his rugged state, as he diligently washed his hands, cleaning dirt from under his nails and from between his fingers.

"You know, I think you look even more handsome when you're all rugged looking, from being out in nature." Sofia mused aloud. Startled, Cedric stood stiff, his breath caught in his throat. His hands paused above the water, droplets falling from his fingertips and forearms back into the basin. He stared at the girl leaning against his doorframe, blinking a few times, trying to figure out if she was really there or if his mind was playing tricks on him again.

"S-S-Sofia... Wh-what are you d-doing...here?" He stuttered.

"I...I thought it was okay after the other night." She muttered, avoiding his gaze, confused by his reaction.

"Pardon?"

"You..." She said looking up at his with hurt eyes. "You don't remember..." she said barely above a whisper.

"Remember... what exactly?" He asked hesitantly. To the contrary, he thought he knew what she was eluding to, but couldn't be certain his recollection was reality. He needed her to tell him the truth of that night. He needed her to confirm what had been stuck on replay in his head the past few days.

"I didn't think you were that intoxicated..." She mumbled, nervously twiddling her fingers, looking away from him again.

"Umm..." He cleared his throat, drying off his arms and hands with a nearby towel. Sofia peeked at him though her bangs, shyly. "Things might be a little hazy..." He half lied, avoiding eye contact with the girl.

Sofia sighed and looked away. "Never mind." She mumbled, turning to head up the stairs.

"You saw my sketch...?" He asked tentatively, reaching out for her from across the room, before she had the chance to run away.

"...Yes." She smiled over her shoulder pausing at the threshold, her delicate hand tightening around the door frame as if trying to ground herself to the unfolding reality.

"So... It wasn't all a dream, you were here..."

"Yeah, what all do you remember?" She asked, turning to face him, resting her shoulder against the doorframe again.

"I'm hesitant to say..." He swallowed hard. "Maybe part of it was alcohol induced..."

"What makes you think you were dreaming?" She pressed, closing the space between them with a few delicate steps. Her sky-blue eyes peered up at him, the corners of her mouth upturned ever so slightly. She was very close. He could feel her breath against his semi-bare chest; the sensation sent chills down his spine.

"E-everything was in its p-proper place... Like you had n-never been here..." He mumbled looking away from the girl before him. His nerves where now getting the better of him; his heart beat faster as she pretended to wipe dirt off his shirt.

"Oh, I did clean up before I left that morning."

"That morning?" He asked raising his eyebrows at her; his heart skipped a beat as the thought that she really had been in his bed entered his mind.

"...Yes... You don't remember?" She frowned again, pausing her dusting of him to cast him a forlorn look.

"No, I remember..." He sighed. The tension eased from his shoulders at the realization she hadn't been an absinthe induced fantasy after all. Sofia relaxed as well, smiling up at the sorcerer, her hand coming to rest squarely on his chest. He wrapped his hand around hers and tenderly removed it from his chest as he took a step back. "And here I thought it was an absinthe induced dream all week." He chortled, rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't a dream." She giggled.

"Well, this complicates matters further." He muttered to himself, removing his hand from hers to roll down his sleeves.

"What's on your hands?" She asked reaching forward, taking his hands in hers, ignoring his statement for the time being.

"Shit. You weren't supposed to see these." He blurted out, trying to pull his hands from her grasp. She held on tight, running her thumbs over his palms.

"I didn't know you had any tattoos." She mumbled in awe at the sight before her. She slowly ran her thumbs over his skin, examining each palm, noting that each had a different design. His left hand had a pagan symbol of the trinity in dark black ink, encompassed by a perfect circle. On his right palm, in various shades of red and orange, was a phoenix rising from flames shaped like a lotus, it too confined by a circle of matching color.

"Yes, well no one but Wormy knew... until now." He groaned, biting his lip waiting for her reaction.

"That's why you always have your gloves on...You had them on the other night too... I didn't think anything about it." She went on, tracing the lines with her fingertips.

"Yes, well they have to remain hidden. You can't tell a soul." He urged, sliding one hand over hers, covering it, grasping her small fingers in his.

"Why?" She asked, turning her bright blue eyes up to his soulful brown ones.

"They're... they're from my past." He muttered looking away from her. I can't tell her. Damnit, I shouldn't have let my guard down.

"What do you mean?" She asked, taking his cheek in the palm of her hand and turning him face to her. Their eyes locked on one another's again; her eyes wide with concern, already prepared to be forgiving and understanding of his answer. He could lose himself in those passionate eyes. He gazed back at her, his own eyes swimming with a mix of emotions he hadn't felt in years. It was hard for him to think clearly when she looked at him in such a way. His heart pounded in his chest, a fire burned deep in his belly, his breath became uneven, he felt the words on the tip of his tongue; he would tell her all she wanted if he could just keep gazing into her fervent eyes.

Images flashed through his head; his lips moved as he told her a story no one else knew, he watched as her eyes dimmed at his words and Sofia turned from him. Cedric sighed, and shook his head to clear away the thoughts. He closed his eyes to break the hold she had over him. "Please don't ask me, Sofia." He whispered pulling his hands away, taking a step backward out of her reach. He plucked up a new pair of gloves from beside the basin and slid them on, covering his intricate tattoos.

"Alright... You can tell me when you're ready then, but Cedric... you know you can tell me anything." She stated, clasping her hands together at her waist.

Cedric nodded in agreement. "I know that, Sofia... It's just that... This isn't a bridge I'm prepared to cross quite yet."

"I... I understand, I'm sorry I was being nosy." She said wringing her hands in guilt.

"It's fine, Dearest. Please don't be upset about it. I don't want you pouting all day or Mummy will be the one being nosy." He said patting the top of her head gently; he let his fingers entwine in her locks, running his fingers through her hair.

"Your mother?"

"Yes, I thought we were going to visit my parents today..." He replied, absentmindedly tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.

"Oh! Yes, I had forgotten! But it's already well past noon..."

"Yes, well, considering we're running late and that we are well past any proprietary... Since you've already seen me..." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Undressed before... Do you mind if I go ahead and change?" He asked as he began to unbutton the rest of his shirt.

Sofia's heart skipped at beat at the sight before her. She blushed, the corners of her mouth upturning into a small smile, and turned her head away slightly. "Go right ahead." She mumbled nervously, returning her gaze to him as he pulled off his shirt and exchanged it for fresh peasant-style one. "Have I ever mentioned before, that you look rather handsome when you're not swallowed up by your robes?" she stated as he slipped off his shoes.

Cedric blushed and cleared his throat nervously. He paused momentarily, deciding to turn his back to her before letting his pants drop into a pile to the floor. His shirt was long enough to mostly hide his posterior, but he felt her eyes boring into him nonetheless. He kicked his trousers to the side, willing his heart to slow the pounding in his chest. The sorcerer promptly slipped on a new pair of trousers, tucked his shirt-tails in, and slid back into his shoes. He picked out a plum colored vest from his small wooden wardrobe and slid it on, leaving it unbuttoned for the time being as he walked toward Sofia; ready to usher her out of his bedchamber and grab a clean robe hanging by the door.

His plans were thwarted though, as Sofia took a confidant step toward him and with dexterous fingers buttoned up his vest; her dainty fingertips taking their time as she leisurely slipped the tarnished buttons through their crevices. Cedric stood there unable to move or say a word. Silently watching, he allowed her to finish her task. The princess smiled at him, and smoothed out his vest and shirt before turning and heading up the stairs. Cedric exhaled slowly, shaking his head slightly as he internally berated himself for allowing such behavior to continue, and followed the princess. He paused at the threshold, his hand reaching toward his spare robe; hesitantly he pulled his hand away and followed Sofia up the stairs, leaving his robe hanging on its hook.

~A/N: I know that Cedric having tattoos seems overdone to some people, it wasn't in my outline. Like I said before, this story seems to be writing itself and I'm just following where it leads me. I like how this one turned out. The Phoenix tattoo is actually my own design. I forbid the use/reference to my design as it has a deep meaning for me and my husband. I designed this tattoo after my husband and I lost a set of twins a few years ago and I felt the meaning behind it would go well with Cedric's character. I have one on each wrist as a memorial for our little ones. If would like to see take a look over on my Tumblr Berriestart-lilacsweet.