A/N: My apologies for the delay. I've had major Writer's block. This chapter is short. I wanted to make it longer, but I think it works fine on it's own... and I'm afraid at the rate my mind has been working, It would be months before I get anything out at all. I'll keep at it though. Just, please, have paitience with me, I write this as I go, so if inspiration is fleeting, there will be longer gaps between chapters.

Thanks again for the kind words and support. And a special shout out to TheOliviaOcti and Professor Muscovite for helping me out, this last chapter. You're the best!

Cedric stood and stared at the door. He could hear Sofia quietly weeping from the other side of it. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath and walked away from the door toward his bedchamber, but he could still make out the the girl's anguished sobs. He covered his ears with his hands to try to drown out the sound. An unpleasant feeling began to gnaw at him. This was her own fault! Not his… not his… she could cry her fill! She'd brought this on herself, foolish girl! What had possessed her to spy on him like that? To deliberately disobey him by using a Transport spell? To act so reckless ! What had possessed her to tell him them those things? That she loved him. She couldn't love him... Could she? It wasn't something he could easily let himself believe. She was young, naive, infatuated, she didn't mean those things, and most of all he didn't feel those things for her. He… he just couldn't!

Yet, he remembered how much he'd suddenly wanted to stop those tears when she'd thrown herself into his arms and buried her face in his chest. In that moment he couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear her crying all because of.. of him. He suddenly scolded himself, she hadn't brought this on herself, she hadn't done anything worse than what he'd been doing for years. He felt his chest constrict with pain and guilt as he recalled her words: "If I ever meant anything to you, then say something!"

The guilt he'd felt suddenly turned to exasperation. What did she want of him?! What was he supposed to tell her? That perhaps, she didn't annoy him as much anymore? That by now he'd grown accustomed to her? That she was dearer to him than anything?! That without her he'd be lost, even more so than he already was? That he needed her…the realization of how much she truly meant to him hit all at once, but even then he stubbornly tried to ignore it, to minimize the extent of it. How was he supposed to simply tell her these things? She should know,shouldn't she?! She should know…

"How is she supposed to guess what you actually feel?" asked some rational part of his mind. "She said she thought as much and you, stubbornly denied it. She can't read minds."

Of course the sensible side of him was right, how was she to really know, especially now? Even if he had longed to tell her all those words that had never been said, words that jumped inside him, but then cowered, behind the weakness that was ruling his head, he couldn't. After all, the last time, he had confessed the depths of his feelings to someone, he had been rejected,and that had left in him a bitterness and fear that he possessed to that day. Still, this was Sofia and it was somehow different, she had to know he did care for her. He should have said something. To let her walk away like that, after she had done nothing but show him unconditional love and forgiveness, had been quite cruel, even for him. That constricting feeling of guilt started to grow in his chest again.

"Oh Merlin… What have I done?" he whispered to himself. He had to go to her, to see her, to speak to her. Just what he'd say, he didn't know, but he had to say something. He was unsure of how long he'd been standing there, silently arguing with himself, but he couldn't waste another second. He raced to the door, and quickly opened it. "Sofia!" he called out "Sofia, please don't cry, you have to know that I-" but she was gone. There was no trace that the princess had been there at all, save for a few droplets of water on the stone floor where her tears had fallen.

Cedric felt his heart drop. Disappointment filled him. He had missed her. He hadn't been quick enough and she was gone. He kicked the door in frustration, instantly regretting the action when he felt pain course through his foot. He yelped then cursed and limped back into his workshop, to his stool. He sat,put his head in his hands and began to take deep breaths. Why had she gone? She had to know he would have come out to her! Why hadn't she just waited for him a few minutes longer?! All of this, it was her fault. "It is, it's her fault!" he said aloud going back to his tried and true method of shifting the blame.

"Caw!" Cedric looked over at Wormwood who had been sitting silently up until that point.

If he didn't know any better, he would swear that the Raven looked at him with reproach in its black eyes.

"Oh, you're taking her side are you?!" he shrieked.

"Caw! Caw!"

"I… I… this isn't my fault! It's not! I tried to get her to leave me alone! If she had… and now she knows all about the Amulet! With my luck, she'll go run and tell Roland and…" that thought was one that hadn't come as soon as it should have. If Roland found out, then that meant the Dungeons for Cedric… or worse, execution. Once again, as they had on the night when he'd kissed Sofia, images of him being led to the chopping block filled his mind. The kicker was, he really hadn't been trying to actively steal the Amulet for years, not since he'd found out first hand the curses it would bestow on someone for a misdeed. That didn't mean he still didn't want to find ways to take over the Kingdom, but even that desire hadn't been as prevalent over the years, it wasn't up until a few months ago, that he started thinking about the Amulet again. Sofia was going off on trips left and right, leaving him alone. Giving him time to think. She'd be leaving him soon enough for good. Married off to some handsome prince in some far away kingdom. He hated thinking about that, but it was an inevitability he knew he'd have to face. So the Amulet, something he'd thought about for years, before Sofia ever came along seemed appealing once again. Deep down inside, Cedric knew it was a foolish dream, but so was Sofia. So was keeping his apprentice from leaving him, when he needed her so.

He'd found a spell, for achieving ones heart's desires, and he decided to cast it. It had taken time to gather all the supplies and he had to wait till the Full moon. He wanted the Amulet, he was nearly certain of that, and he thought that was his intention as he'd cast the spell that Moonlit night weeks before. Nothing happened, at first, but then those dreams had started, dreams of Sofia, where he'd held her, and… and kissed her. He was confused at first, but soon enough the realization started to gnaw at him, maybe he didn't truly want the Amulet any longer, perhaps he wanted the young woman whose pale throat, the Amulet hung against.. the thought was fleeting and he'd pushed it to the back of his mind. That's not what he had wanted, surely he had done something wrong with that spell? Now, however, as he sat there at his desk, he wondered if it could be true? Especially since they had been somehow sharing the dreams?
"No. No. I don't…" he murmured to himself. He felt a sharp pain in his head and squeezed his eyes shut. The pain in his foot from where he'd kicked the door seemed to increase too. He was thoroughly exhausted, but knew he'd get little sleep. Still, he had to try.
He hobbled over to his potions cabinet and grabbed one of his more potent sleeping draughts. He downed almost all the bottles contents in one gulp and then made his way to his room. He lay on his bed and waited for the potion to take its effect. All the while, thoughts of his possible execution played in his head, but soon enough they were replaced by images of Sofia, looking at him reproachfully, tears streaming down her face, and her sobs ringing in his ears. Her blue eyes grew darker until they became as black as a bird's eyes and then he remembered nothing as dreamless sleep came to claim him.

Poor Cedric. He couldn't postpone the inevitable. He didn't know it then, but his nightmares were just beginning.