Somewhere Cold

Cedric shivered and moved closer to the roaring fire, seeking as much warmth as he could possibly get. He sank down onto the thick rug in front of the fireplace and pulled the blanket he'd wrapped around himself a bit tighter around his thin frame. Sighing in relief as the welcome heat washed over his body, he glanced out of one of the small cabin's windows at the snowy world that was Friezenburg. A wry smile found its way to his lips when he recalled the very conversation that had landed him here in the first place.

…

A month ago…

"Where should we go for our honeymoon?" Sofia asked one day as she sat at a table in her fiancé's workshop making a list of herbs he needed to restock. She smiled toward Cedric, who was standing at his cauldron with his back to her. "We haven't talked about that yet, and we're getting married in a month."

"Somewhere cold," he responded at once, raising an arm to wipe his sweaty brow as he continued to lean over the steaming brew. Enchancia had been hit by a major heat wave, and, seeing as it was summer, it wasn't bound to cool down anytime soon. And standing over a hot cauldron all day wasn't helping matters. Cedric sighed and added one last ingredient to the concoction and stirred. Oh, he wished he could cast the Forever Frost spell and cool the kingdom. Would anyone protest? Probably…

"Really?" the princess hummed thoughtfully. "I was thinking it would be fun to go to Hakalo or Merroway Cove. Or we could go to Avalor. Dad said we could take the Floating Palace if we wanted."

Cedric's face fell into a grimace at all those ideas. Hakalo and Avalor were probably just as hot as Enchancia–if not hotter. And he wasn't about to go to Merroway Cove for an entirely different reason. Plus, the idea of being on a ship underneath the blazing sun didn't sound appealing. "No, my love. I'd much rather go somewhere cold." Finishing his potion, he turned to face her.

Sofia frowned in concern when she finally saw his face. "Are you feeling all right? You look flushed."

"It's hot." He deadpanned when she blinked. Seriously, she wasn't even sweating. "How are you not hot? It's roasting in here."

"Well. I'm only wearing one layer," she pointed out, gesturing to the simple blue sundress she wore. She then blushed and added, "I mean… I do have my undergarments on, but that's beside the point." Smiling, she put her pen down and stood up, walking over to him. "Why don't you take your robe off?" Not waiting for a reply, she untied the sash of his robe and slipped it off his shoulders, draping it over a chair. Then she proceeded to unbutton his vest and set that aside too. Lastly, she undid his bowtie along with the top button of his shirt. She grinned and rested her hands on his shoulders. "How do you feel now, Cedric the Overdressed?"

"…Much better," he admitted sheepishly, sighing in relief as a breeze blew in from the open window and kissed the damp skin on his neck, cooling him. "But I stand by what I said, somewhere cold would be nice."

"Okay, if you insist," she agreed with a playful smirk. "I know the perfect place."

He was a little afraid to ask, but… "And where might that be?"

"You'll see." She winked before pulling him down and kissing him passionately.

…

So here he was, in the coldest kingdom in the Ever Realm: Friezenburg. Cedric had to laugh at the irony. Not too long ago, he'd just wanted to get away from the sweltering heat, now he couldn't seem to keep warm. Granted, the cabin Sofia had secured for their two week honeymoon hadn't felt this cold when they arrived the previous evening. Or maybe it had, he was just focused on other things, like the warmth of his new wife's body as he bedded her…

And where was Sofia now? After sleeping in until noon, she had risen half an hour ago and gone for a walk. That silly girl had been unbothered by the freezing temperature outside. But she had never actually been bothered by the cold, always wearing lighter coats and cloaks than everyone around her. Cedric glanced out the window again, wondering when she would be back. He missed her terribly.

As if on cue, the cabin's door flew open with a loud bang, causing the sorcerer to jump. Looking toward the doorway, his breath caught in his throat when he saw his wife. She looked breathtakingly beautiful standing there with the snowy world behind her, her cheeks rosy from the cold and her eyes sparkling with mirth. In her simple pale blue dress she looked very much like a winter goddess.

Sofia smiled as she closed the door before taking off her shawl and hanging it on a hook by the door. "It's beautiful here," she said happily. "I love snow in the summer." She giggled.

Cedric rolled his eyes but smiled. "It's just a tad too cold for me, my love."

The princess sauntered over to where her husband was sitting in front of the fireplace, placing her hands on her hips as she smirked playfully down at him. "I seem to remember someone insisting we go 'somewhere cold.'"

"Y–Yes, well…" He cleared his throat. "It's hot in Enchancia, Sofia! I simply wanted to go somewhere cooler."

She just laughed and sat down on the rug beside him, taking her boots off and setting them aside. She sighed in pleasure as the fire's warmth washed over her. "One nice thing about being in a cold place is that we can keep each other warm." She scooted closer and leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder.

" Indeed." He rested his head on top of hers, smiling contentedly. For the moment, he was unable to hug her because his arms were inside the blanket, and he was too comfortable in the current position to try moving. Maybe later…

Sofia's eyes closed as she placed one hand on her husband's chest and started moving her finger idly over the soft material of his blanket. When she felt the blanket's edge, she slipped her hand beneath the fabric. She felt him stiffen, but he soon relaxed as she rubbed gentle circle on his chest. "Cedric?"

"Hmm?"

She sat up and grinned mischievously. "If you'd actually get dressed, you wouldn't be so cold." She pulled on the blanket, causing it to fall open and slide off of his bare shoulders, revealing that he was wearing absolutely nothing under it.

"S–Sofia!" He blushed darkly as she doubled over in laughter. He folded his arms and huffed. "You cheeky girl! I'll get you back for that."

"Oh, what are you going to do, Cedric the Underdressed?" she teased as she began to sit up, but she soon found herself lying flat on her back between his knees. She only had time to register the playful smirk on his face before he began tickling her with merciless fingers. Sofia squealed in laughter, trying to squirm away from him. "CEDRIC… HAHAHA… STOP… HAHAHAHAHA…"

After a few moments, Cedric ceased his tickling and tried to move away, but Sofia immediately rolled him onto his back and, grinning wickedly, tickled him just as mercilessly as he had done to her.

The tickling soon turned to sweet little kisses, and those kisses soon became deep and passionate. At some point, Sofia realized that her clothes had vanished, but she didn't really care as her husband's warm hands caressed her sides. He leaned over her, his lips trailing kisses across her collarbone. She moaned sweetly, loving the feeling of his lips on her skin. "Cedric… maybe we should… move to the bed…" she suggested before whimpering softly when one of his hands cupped one of her breasts.

He shook his head, moving to hover over her. "I'd rather not move away from the fire." Resting on his elbows, he looked down at her. Her big blue eyes were hazy and full of want of him. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. "I love you. So much."

She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "I love you too, Cedric." She pulled him down into a kiss as they began to express their love for each other in a way that was still very new to them.

Outside, snowflakes started falling, adding a fresh new layer of snow to the wintery world.

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Yes, I realize that this story has nothing to do with today's holiday, but I figured anything romantic would do. I had fun writing this story, although I think it's more silly than romantic. Ah, well… By the way, I wrote this for the Foreign Land/Honeymoon prompt from 2019's Cedfia week. I hope you liked it.