So a quick author's note. About halfway through the other chapter I realized that I was calling Greylock's employer King Maximus when it was King Magnus. Sorry if that confused some fans of the show, it was my mistake.
Book 5: The Masquerade Begins
Greylock pov…
Greylock was shocked as Sapphire finished the story, her river blue eyes staring straight ahead and glazed over. The sorcerer felt his stomach do a slow roll, as she described the pain of the sword, the rush of power she felt when the guardian of her amulet came to her, and the sadness she felt as the young sorceress chose to banish herself and the monster into the mirror, trapping them forever.
"What happened to her?' Greylock asked as Sapphire finished.
"She escaped, leaving me in the mirror realm without defense or protection," was all she said before her voice cracked and she stopped. Greylock suddenly embraced the young sorceress, which made her tense up, but she soon returned the hug.
"Thank you for understanding Greylock," Sapphire thanked as she pulled back. "I only hope that Cedric will be as understanding as you."
"Are you kidding me? Broomstick will take you back as soon as he sees you," Greylock assured her, going back to usual carefree attitude. They both got up and Sapphire walked out the door, with Greylock on her heel. Suddenly she was over come with a chill, which travelled up her spine like a snake. Ignoring it she drew Greylock's cloak tighter as it provided some type of warmth.
"I hope you are right Greylock," the sorceress muttered as they walked quickly towards Sapphire's room. Outside the sky had gotten dark; snow falling in sheets, and Greylock had a small suspicion that the children would be staying home tomorrow. After walking up the stairs, the two wizards overheard Baileywick talking to several servants, as they showed the castle steward an advertisement for the ball, and Greylock saw that the ball would be a masquerade ball. That got the older sorcerer thinking and a plan was born, one that was guaranteed to get Cedric and Sapphire back together.
"I've got an idea," he said as Greylock pulled her to the side. Sapphire looked at him with those startling blue eyes, which stayed on him before glancing to someone or something behind him. But when he turned around no one was there.
"For what?"
"To get you and Cedric back together," he said simply. The sorcerer gestured to a poster that advertised the ball. "It's going to be a masquerade! That means that he won't be able to spot you if you wear a mask and pull back your bangs."
"I guess we could do that," Sapphire said after thinking about it. "But when Cedric gets back how do we hide the fact that I'm not here?"
"We can move you to a different room," he said shrugging his shoulders. Sapphire glanced back at the poster, her eyes filing with worry, anxiety and a small bit of hope.
"Okay," she finally conceded. "When will he return?"
(16,17) Hexly Hall….
It had been a year after the disappearance with Sapphire and the evil entity, and everyone was still on the look out for the young sorceress. Each day more and more people searched everywhere for her, and no one was more worried for her than Cedric. He searched for his love, only sleeping and eating when his parents forced him. When he slept he had nightmares, and he saw Sapphire's face on that horrible day, the painful and panicked expression that was written on her face as the blade plunged into her stomach…. Cedric saw that every time he closed his eyes.
When the search was called off about six months later, Hexly Hall erected a small statue in the darkest part of their magical garden. Cedric was devastated that the search was called off, so he allowed darkness to take hold of his heart and soul. He pushed his friends away, and secluded himself from the outside world, locking himself inside his laboratory alone. Unable to keep anything that reminded him of his lost love, so he gave away the mirror that was left on the floor after the duel to a kind woman, named Estela.
"Why thank you young man," the new mother said, as she placed the four coins in the sorcerer's hand. Cedric watched the woman go, carrying a small child in a faded pink blanket, with tears streaming down his cheeks.
Cedric's parents, Goodwin the Great and Winifred the Wise, worried that all that isolation from his friends would scar him, so as a birthday gift they got the young sorcerer a raven, which he named Wormwood. The young sorcerer told the raven everything, including about Sapphire and how he loved her with every fabric of his being, how she disappeared leaving him to wonder and worry about where she had gone and if she was okay. Little did he know that Wormwood listened to him closely, and the raven memorized every detail about the woman Cedric was so in love with.
One rainy day Cedric went to Hexly Hall, with a bundle of different types of flowers but it mainly included blue forget-me-nots, a type of flower that Sapphire loved with all of her being. He trudged along the path, almost slipping on a wet spot but soon righted himself and continued to walk until he got to the statue. A tear slipped mingling with the rain as Cedric placed the bouquet at the foot of the statue, his head bowed in grief as if he was at a funeral. The statue did not do Sapphire justice, as it made her out to be a monster or a demon, not some one who saved the school from a demon who would burn the school to ash.
Her figure was in a sitting position, using the pedestal as a seat, her head turned slightly to the right. She looked to be wearing a dress similar to the one she wore at the Wassailia ball all those years ago, but it was in complete rags, her hair all over the place. The way her eyes were and how hard it was raining, it looked like the spirit of Sapphire Starlight was trapped in the statue, and she was crying because of the way they made her out. Cedric sighed at that thought, wiping a tear that had managed to slip.
"Sapphire, if you can hear me, please forgive me," Cedric muttered as he sat on the bench across from the statue. "I never wanted to give up looking for you but I had no choice. I wish I could tell you how much I love you and how much you meant to me all those years of my life." Cedric took out her engagement ring, staring at it with longing in his eyes. "I was uh, planning to give this to you the day you disappeared. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together Sapphire, and start a family. All those years we could've spent together are now gone, vanished in a puff of smoke."
Cedric stood, placing the ring on the statue's finger, symbolically asking her to marry him, and strengthen that bond they had since they were kids. The soon to be royal sorcerer looked over to garden where bright red roses stood out in the grainy day. He could've sworn he heard childlike laughter, and when he blinked he saw an apparition of both him and Sapphire when they were young, the day he made that promise.
Promise me that you won't become like those boys, greedy and selfish, she said, that day still fresh in his mind. Promise me that you'll stay exactly the same. Cedric saw his younger self-smile, taking younger Sapphire's hand, as she smiled back.
Don't worry about it. He heard himself say. As long as I have you, nothing like will ever happen.
With that the apparitions disappeared, leaving Cedric alone in the garden with the statue of his lost love. One last look and one last goodbye, Cedric pulled his cloak tighter as he tried to expel the chill that had settled, and walked back towards the school, leaving the statue all by itself.
Next day, Sapphire pov….
"Hello?" Sapphire asked as she entered the Royal Tailor's workspace. The rooms were empty except for the mannequins that stood with half finished dresses and suits made out of the finest cotton and silks. The young woman walked where the fabrics where being stored, her fingers brushing the finished dresses that stood in the corner.
"Is there anyone here?" She called as she turned the corner. After coming to the conclusion that no one was here and the Royal Tailor was taking a break. The young sorceress walked to the back, where the extra fabrics were stored. There was a multitude of different colors, different shades of reds, pinks, greys, blues, purples, and oranges, ready to be used. Searching through the items, Sapphire found the perfect material for her Reunion Ball dress. It was the bluest dress Sapphire had ever seen, with strokes and dashes of purples and different shades of blue. The cloth was softer than a newborn bunny's behind, and it similar to a big fluffy cloud on a bright and sunny day.
This is perfect, Sapphire thought as she placed five coins on the table. The sorceress then continued to search for threads and needles. Finding what she needed she left, with all sorts of goodies, including gold thread.
As the sunset Sapphire had finished her dress, three of her fingers wrapped up due to her poking them so much. Holding it up, the young sorceress smiled, thankful that her uncle had torn his overalls all the time. The dress was like similar to the one she wore during the Wassailia Ball all those years ago, except this one had gold trim and had a low cut back, but not so low that was revealing. On the upper front, a sideways moon kept the two sleeves from falling apart.
The young sorceress was just hanging the gown up when there was a knock at her door. Thinking that it was the angry Royal Tailor, she ignored it and got back to making her outfit for the ball later that week. As she started on her mask, Sapphire heard the door open, and she rolled her eyes, getting ready to receive an ear full from the elder, but when she poked her head out to start the shout off, she was greeted by her young friend, Sofia.
"Sapphire? Are you here?" she called, before she stopped and spotted Sapphire, who had tensed and backed up in fear. The young sorceress had little recollection of what happened those last two days, but she was sure Sofia was there those first few moments as the frost settled in.
"S-stay away Sofia, please," Sapphire urged, holding her hands up. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Sapphire please, I know you're not going to hurt me," Sofia said ignoring the warning. "Even if you wanted to."
"Sofia my powers are growing to the point where I can't control them. There is no guarantee that I can keep you safe." Sapphire warned, but Sofia just marched right up to the young woman, and pulled her by the sleeves of her robes, making her sit down on a stool. Sapphire never really had an opinion on kids, but Sofia was one of those kids that could be persistently stubborn when she wanted to be.
"Greylock told me your plan to get back together with Cedric," She said as soon as it grew quiet. Sapphire raised an eyebrow at the young princess; she seemed to be extremely persistently stubborn.
"And?"
"And, I want to help you with it," Sofia explained as she crossed her arms.
"How?" Sapphire continued to bombard the princess with questions. There was no way this young girl could do anything on her own.
"Well, James and Amber have agreed not to say a word," Sofia said and she started to pace the room, the sound of her heels clicking against the tiled floor. "I'll have to talk to the servants, Baileywick, and my parents."
"Greylock has already promised that he'll talk with King Magnus," Sapphire added, mentally checking those two names off the list. Sapphire rubbed her eyes as her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything all day.
"Have you made your dress already?" Sofia asked as she spotted the elegant gown hanging the closet. The young princess took it off the hook, so she could examine it more closely. She gasped at the attention to detail, the intricate design on the gold trim, small crescent shapes all cleverly hidden by the shimmer of the fabric. "Where did you learn to sew like this? Even I can't do this and I've been sewing since before I could talk."
Sapphire smiled slightly. "Well I grew up with an uncle who was a woodsmen. He tore his trousers every other day, so I had to learn to sew and one of my neighbors was a friend of my mother's, so she taught me how to sew, and I eventually graduated to making clothes instead of repairing them."
"Wow," Sofia said as she continued to look over it.
"Someday I hope that I will be able to teach my children how to sew," Sapphire said wistfully, subconsciously, rubbing her necklace with her thumb.
"I bet you're going to be a good teacher," the princess said setting the dress down. Sapphire looked the dress, seeing that something was missing.
"Hold it up one more time for me please," the sorceress asked as she reached for a wand. "There's something missing." Sofia dutifully held it up for her friend, although she was struggling because Sapphire made this dress extremely puffy and big. "Hold it steady Sofia."
Sapphire waved her wand, whispering, "Gelu." Her wand shot out frozen burst of frost, which implanted itself on the dress, making it seem like it was apart of the fabric. Sofia stared at the final touches, her blue eyes wide in amazement and shock. The young sorceress plopped down in her chair, suddenly drained of energy from that little spell. Sofia was too engrossed in the cool designs that had magically implanted itself on the dress.
The princess placed the dress on the back of the desk chair, suddenly noticing that Sapphire didn't look too good.
"Sapphire? Are you okay?" Sofia asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine," She answered, not really convincing but the woman just got up and walked to the window. "Are you out of school tomorrow?"
Sofia smiled happily. "Yep. I'm really excited because I get to help Baileywick with the decorating."
"That's good," Sapphire, said absentmindedly. Through the falling snow, Sapphire saw that the moon was shining like a polished stone. The memory of all those years in the mirror realm made her appreciate the beauty of this world. The stars twinkled like polished diamonds in the sky, reminding the young sorceress of all the good there was in the world, despite the hardship and toil. "Do you know when Cedric will return?"
"I don't think so," Sofia answered softly. "He was only supposed to be gone a week but maybe the early snow kept him from coming home sooner. With luck he'll be home tomorrow morning. Why?"
"I want to you help me," Sapphire said and she handed Sofia a folded letter with a wax seal.
Sofia pov (next morning)….
Sofia stretched as she opened her eyes, smiling as the snow continued to fall outside her window. Clover was still asleep on his little pillow on the window seat, snuggled up like a little fluffy ball. But despite this perfectly happy feeling the young princess couldn't help but feel that something was off. Running to the window, she wiped off the fog that had settled on the pane. Down below, the young princess saw that Mr. Cedric was walking up the steps to the front of the castle, with the castle steward greeting him with a smile.
The young princess was so happy that her mentor was back, wrapped in his thickest robe, that she quickly got dressed and made a mad dash towards Sapphire's room. She found the young woman making her mask for the ball later that day, humming a song that Sofia didn't recognize. The young sorceress was so surprised at the princess barging in that she almost dropped her mask, and it was almost ruined. Sapphire cocked an eyebrow as Sofia bolted the door and put her back against it.
"Sofia is everything alright?" Sapphire asked worried at her out of breath.
"Mr. Cedric's here!" the young princess said with pure excitement, although she noticed Sapphire's shocked face, an extreme contrast to her happy expression. Sofia had only seen that expression once on the young sorceress face, and it was when she first met Sapphire after she was free from the mirror.
"OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!" The young sorceress suddenly said, fanning her face and started to run around like a chicken with its head chopped off. "Okay, calm down Sapphire. You can do this."
Sapphire took a deep breath in, calming herself down, then looked at Sofia who was staring at her with wide eyes. The young sorceress smiled embarrassingly, rubbing her arms as her pale cheeks caught red.
"Okay so how are we going to play this?" Sapphire asked once she had calmed down. "The ball is later tonight, so we have to keep me secret until then. "
Sofia thought about it, running through a possible list of things they could do but none of them seem to work for her. Shrugging, she sighed and both the girls sat down on the bed, desperately thinking of something to do.
"How about we just wait it out?" Sapphire asked, and Sofia mentally kicked herself. All this time she had been thinking about elaborate plans when really it was just simple…wait it out.
"We could do that," Sofia said pushing herself off the bed. "I'll have the servants bring some breakfast lunch and dinner." Sapphire smiled, thankfully.
"You know Sofia, you've been nothing but kind to ever since I came here," Sapphire smiled pulling the young princess in an awkward hug, and after squeezing her tightly in a bear hug, released her stroking her hair. "Thank you. No one has ever shown such kindness to me."
"Your welcome Sapphire," Sofia said opening the door and walked out the door.
Cedric pov…
The Royal sorcerer walked up the stairs of the castle of Enchantia, he growled at the cold and the snow and the ice that had settled down while he was gone. He hated snow, since it reminded him of his first date with Sapphire, and he didn't want to think about her anymore. She left him, and disappeared without a word or a goodbye, so she was dead to him. (Yikes! Harsh)
Shaking himself out of his thoughts Cedric continued to hike up the stairs, groaning loudly when he saw Greylock trying to hook up with a maid. Cedric kept his head down, in hopes to sneak passed his jokester friend without being noticed. Unfortunately for Cedric, it didn't work. The prankster spotted him, and bidding the maid goodbye, he walked up on the royal sorcerer nearly giving him a heart attack.
"Hey Broomstick how ya doing?" the jokester said, making Cedric tense and scowl, a regular thing he does.
Cedric scoffed and pushed his 'friend' off of him. "It's Cedric. And I wish to be alone, Greylock." Cedric continued to climb the stairs quickly, in hopes of getting to his tower without another incident, but Greylock continued to follow the grey-banged sorcerer like a lost puppy. Ignoring him, Cedric hurried towards the castle, practically running past the guards with Greylock hot on his heels.
Finally fed up with the prankster he turned around with a huff and shouted, "Is there something I can help you Greylock?!" The prankster just shrugged and looked like Cedric had shouted for no reason at all.
"Just wondering if you were going to the Reunion Ball tonight," Cedric's friend said as the royal sorcerer opened up his chambers to find it cleaned and locked. The sorcerer smiled to himself, thinking that his apprentice, Sofia, had cleaned and locked his door. She was so nice; it painfully reminded him of how nice Sapphire was. On top of a stack of papers sat the portrait that was drawn at the Wassailia Ball all those years ago. Grunting he placed it back under the papers, at the very bottom.
"I don't believe I will Greylock," Cedric said solemnly. "What fun will I have at a reunion to remind me of the worst years of my life?' Greylock nudged the gloomy sorcerer playfully smiling good-naturedly.
"Oh come on Cedric. It'll be fun," Greylock pushed. Greylock knew that if he pushed just a little more then Cedric will reluctantly agree to go so the sorcerer just kept pushing. "And besides, maybe you'll meet someone special there."
"Hm I doubt that," Cedric said stubbornly. "If Sapphire hasn't been found by now then we may never find her." He thought about it, weighing the options, the consequences and the rewards. Cedric sighed, giving in to Greylock's persistent begging. "Alright Greylock, you've persuaded me. I'll go, but I'll only go until midnight. After that, then I'm going to bed.'
"Great!" Greylock's plan had worked and he was thrilled! Step one complete. "I'll go tell Sa…Sofia that you're planning to go."
Cedric cocked an eyebrow at his friend, the slip up didn't go unnoticed by the royal sorcerer but right now, he didn't care. He had to find something to wear by tonight.
"I'll see you tonight Greylock," Cedric bid his friend goodbye as he rudely shoved him out the door. "Right now I have to prepare for tonight's ball."
"Okay, Broomstick," Greylock waved smiling completely excited.
"IT'S CEDRIC!" The royal sorcerer shouted as he slammed the door in Greylock's face. Sighing he walked over to his desk and pulled out the portrait, tears stinging his eyes as he remembered Sapphire's laughter and the way it sounded like a bell, the way her river blue eyes sparkled when she smiled, and the way her dark eyelashes fluttered when she was deep asleep in the dream world. "I'm so sorry Sapphire. Please forgive me."
He set the portrait down and continued to search his wardrobe for his finest robe.
(Outside of Cedric's tower) Sapphire pov…
The young sorceress stood outside Cedric's tower. Her hood to her new thick cloak was pulled over her face, Sapphire's eyes hidden in the dark shadows of her hood. Sapphire watched the shadows move from inside the tower, soon seeing that her long time friend lean out the window look towards her. Fortunately for her she was hiding in the shadow of a garden statue. For one moment, they made eye contact, although Sapphire assumed that her love thought she was a visiting royal due to the elegance of her cloak.
She decided that it was time to leave, for soon the ball would commence and not before long royals and other sorcerers would arrive for the ball. Taking one last look at the tower window Sapphire trekked back towards her room, to get ready for the ball.
Cedric pov….
The royal sorcerer watched with a raised eyebrow as the strange cloaked figure walked away back towards the castle. Something seemed familiar about her, but Cedric couldn't figure it out for the life of him. Deciding to go down and find the mysterious person, Cedric quickly rushed down the stairs and out to the gardens. Unfortunately, the woman was long gone by the time the grey-banged sorcerer arrived. He looked around for anything, clues to which the woman might've been, a locket or shoe prints. But all he found was a patch of frost near and on a statue of an elf, which did nothing to give him knowledge.
Oh well, he thought as he went back towards his tower. Guess I'll find out at the ball tonight.
(In her rooms) Sapphire pov…
"Oh you should've seen him Sofia," Sapphire said giddily to the young princess as she laced the sorceress up in her dress. "He's grown up so much since the last time I saw him. Ow! Sofia, do you to have to tie it so tight?" Sofia gave the young sorceress a small smile in apology. The princess was having trouble with tying the dress so she sent Baileywick to get her mother. Soon the queen of Enchantia came, wearing that elegant pink dress she always wore.
"Oh your majesty, please, forgive the intrusion," Sapphire apologized, as she tried to keep what little dress she had on from slipping. The young sorceress's cheeks were bright red with embarrassment as the queen strode across the foyer smiling.
"It's perfectly alright Sapphire. I know how difficult it is to tie a corset." The dark haired queen looked down at her daughter, with a smile. "Sofia, go get ready. I'll help Sapphire here."
"Okay mom," the young princess said with a smile that matched her mother's. "See you later tonight Sapphire." Sapphire waved at the girl as she walked out, and as soon as the door shut, Queen Miranda went to work. The young queen was a lot gentler than Sofia and as soon as the dress was on, the Enchantian queen directed her to her chair.
Queen Miranda brushed her hair, untangling the cascade of dark hair and pulling it into pile of curls, with her bangs tucked away. Braided into her hair were pearls and sapphires, and the queen put just the right amount of makeup on the young sorceress despite her trying to tell the queen no thank you. After about three hours of this Sapphire placed a small bejeweled tiara on top of the curls, smiling as her ensemble came together at last.
"Thank you so much your highness," Sapphire thanked curtsying to the queen, who just chuckled.
"Please it's Miranda," the queen said straightening up. "And you'll do fine. Cedric is lucky to have a girl like you. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and get ready myself." The queen left, leaving Sapphire to look in her hand made dress, and as she placed her blue and purple butterfly mask on, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Her body filled with anxiety, her heart pounding so hard Sapphire thought it was going to burst out of her chest. For the first time, she felt nothing but pure fear and anxiety. Soon questions of doubt started to bubble around in her head, and a voice similar to Ruby Brimstone's spoke those doubts.
What if Cedric does remember how much he loves me? What if I do something stupid and he laughs at me? Or what if he remembers that day and me and thinks that I'm a monster?
Unable to take that thought, she looked down, where ice was starting to form. "I can't do this," she decided before she gestured her hands out, shooting ice out of her hands towards the door. "I have to stay here until I can keep my powers under control." Sapphire slid down, curling up in the corner blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. The young sorceress didn't see that her amulet was glowing a faint light blue.
A light that came out of know where started to grow brighter and brighter until it took the shape and form of a young woman with long white hair in a braid that fell over her shoulders and a long light blue dress. Her eyes were a beautiful teal color, her lips a similar to the color of a bright red rose, which was a stark contrast to the strangers pale skin. The strange woman's dress was extremely tight, showing off ever curve of her body, with a split on the side that seemed to go to her mid thigh. She had a cape of sorts, which looked to be made up of fine frost with snowflake designs on it. A look of confusion flashed over her face for a moment before her eyes fell on Sapphire, her head still down, then she smiled slightly.
The woman knelt down to Sapphire's level, and placed a hand on the young sorceress's arm. Sapphire looked up, surprised by the elegant woman that had suddenly appeared in her room.
"Who are you?" Sapphire asked in amazement and a little fear.
"My name is Queen Elsa of Arendelle," the woman said, sitting down with some difficulty. She pointed to the light blue amulet that laid at the gape of her throat. "Your amulet called me here, in your time of need. So what is the problem Sapphire?"
"My powers are out of control and there's a ball tonight," Sapphire explained as a tear escaped. "I fear that something may happen, and that I'll get called a monster by the person I love the most. I'm conflicted on what to do." Sapphire looked up and saw the queen of Arendelle smile sadly, like she had been through the same thing.
"I, unfortunately, understand your pain," she said standing up. "I have powers similar to yours. When I was young my biggest fear was hurting my sister and that fear only made my powers uncontrollably. I ended up freezing my entire kingdom, leaving my sister and people at the hands of a greedy monster. But my sister was there to show me that love can heal, but true love can thaw."
"How does that help me?" Sapphire asked and Queen Elsa held out her hand, which the young sorceress gratefully took.
"Remember that Cedric loves you for you and nothing not even ice powers can stop his love," the queen said tucking in a loose strand. She scrunched up her face in distaste Sapphire's dress, the legendary Ice queen the started to circle the ice sorceress like a vulture.
"I think it's time for a wardrobe change," She simply said before opening her palm. Sparkles of ice magic flew from her palm, and circled Sapphire, lifting up the sorceress. Elsa watched as a light engulfed Sapphire, and smiled when all that was left was a silhouette of the young woman. Soon the light died down, and when Sapphire was put down on the floor, the young sorceress was wearing a new and improved dress. It was light blue with some mixes of purples with gold trim, her hair still the same, with a larger tiara on top of the curls. The dress wasn't as big as the last one but it was still very elegant.
"Oh thank you your highness," Sapphire thanked as she was still looking at her dress. But when the sorceress looked up, the queen was gone, and a snowman in her place. Believing that Elsa had gone back to her kingdom, Sapphire turned around and unfroze the door. The young sorceress walked out, relaxing a bit when she heard the sounds of the party, laughter and music. The smell of food wafted through the hallways, as well as the sounds of Baileywick calling out the names of various sorcerers, sorceresses, kings and queens. Taking a deep breath, Sapphire walked towards the ballroom.
Soon she arrived, at the top of the banister, where Baileywick stood, announcing the names of couples as they walked in. She nodded to the castle steward, knowing that he knew not to announce her name. As the young woman descended the stairs, everyone, even the musicians stopped to stare at her. Sapphire nodded to Greylock, who wore a fox mask (typical), and he nodded back, walking towards the base of the stairs, where he held his hand out for her. Graciously, she took it, and the pair walked to the back, as the musicians just shrugged and continued with a jig. The royals and sorcerers just smiled and continued to dine and feast, not a care in the world.
"Have you found Cedric yet?" Sapphire asked, as they hid behind an ivory pillar.
"Yeah he's in the far back," Greylock replied taking off his mask. "I'll introduce you to him as …uh."
"Amethyst," Sapphire gently reminded him.
"Right, I'll introduce you to him as Amethyst Summers, and then when you are dancing you'll tell him that your real name is Sapphire Starlight." Sapphire looked out into the crowd of people, many of whom she had grown up with. It was now or never for the young sorceress, and this chance will never come again for her. Taking a deep breath Sapphire walked of the shadow of the pillars and straight into her destiny.
Cedric pov…
The royal sorcerer was extremely uncomfortable at the ball. As Baileywick continued to call out names of royals and sorcerers that lived in different kingdoms, Cedric was busy nursing a headache that seemed to be appearing out of the blue. Never before in his life, had the son of Goodwin the Great hate going to balls and staying out late. But then something caught his attention. A young woman with midnight black hair and river blue eyes stood at the top of the stairs. She seemed to cast a spell on everyone, as the entire ballroom just quieted down to the volume where you could here a pin drop and it would echo. Not even Baileywick said a word.
Cedric was trying to figure out where he saw those startling blue eyes, when Greylock came over and offered her a hand. He made a face, his wolf mask getting in the way. The royal sorcerer went back to nursing a glass of sparkling cider, and walked towards the side door, in hopes of sneaking out. But his luck just continued to surprise him.
"Well if it isn't Grey Bangs," said an older Brandon as he pulled the scrawnier magician back. "Haven't seen you since five years ago."
"Ugh, hello Brandon," Cedric groaned and tried to walk away. He didn't see the young woman walk towards him, her face set in determination. "May I help you?"
"Yeah I-" the former bully stopped as soon as he saw the woman, and Cedric couldn't help but believe she was some sort of duchess or even a princess. "Well hello miss." But the woman kept her head high, as she walked on past him not saying a word to him. She stopped in front of Cedric and curtsying, which surprised both the sorcerer and bully.
"May I have this dance?" she asked Cedric, holding out her hand to Cedric. The royal sorcerer just looked at the bully, and then took the young woman's hand. The two pair walked towards the middle of the ballroom, and soon joined the crowd. The two love birds just danced in silence, smiling at each other with pure love.
"So what is your name if I may ask?" the girl asked breaking the silence.
"Cedric the Sensational at your service miss," Cedric introduced himself as they picked up the pace.
"So is that what you call you around here?" she asked jokingly. Cedric could've sworn that he knew this masked beauty but he just couldn't place it.
"Have we met before?" he asked voicing his curiosity. The woman's eyes seemed to dance playfully, and Cedric sworn that a magical light passed over her making her seem like a goddess.
"I don't think we have," she said stopping. The young woman turned around and walked towards the refreshments, and Cedric caught a glimpse of light blue color in her hair. Blinking, he looked again and they it was still there, and by the looks of things it was pinned in the back on purpose. Cedric felt his pulse quicken all of the sudden as realization hit him that this was….
"Sapphire?" He asked himself as he walked quickly towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around, ripping off the mask. The girl opened her eyes and Cedric gasped at what he saw. As Cedric stared into those familiar blue eyes, he felt his world implode when she spoke, "Hello Cedric. It's good to see you again." And with that he collapsed on the ballroom floor.