A Little Break
Sofia sighed in relief as she walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. It had been a long week for Enchancia's youngest royal. Well, technically, it had been a long week for the entire royal family and the castle staff. Amber's wedding was in just a few days, and everyone was busy with preparations. However, Sofia was the only one in the castle who had the added duties of Story Keeper and Protector, and, for whatever reason, things had just chosen to happen that week. She'd been summoned to the Secret Library to complete a story of a lost city. After that, she been called to help put out a forest fire, rescue some villagers from a flood, and catch a thief at a bazaar. Whenever she wasn't off saving the world, she was with Amber. That day, she'd spent hours with her sister going over the wedding guest list, tasting different varieties of cake, going over flower arrangements for perhaps the umpteenth time, and so on. Sofia loved her family, and she loved being a Protector and helping people. But sometimes she just wanted to relax and breathe.
"A bubble bath sounds nice," the princess murmured wearily. She nodded to herself and walked to her closet to gather a few things. She was about to leave her room when there was a puff of green smoke over her bed, and a piece of parchment fell onto the mattress.. Curiously, she walked over to the bed and picked up the paper, smiling when she recognized Cedric's handwriting.
Sofia,
Meet me in your secret garden at sunset. I have a little surprise for you.
Cedric
Sofia's weariness instantly faded away and was quickly replaced by excitement. She loved her sorcerer's surprises. Cedric the Sensationally Great always created the most sensational surprises. That was her opinion, anyway. She glanced toward her window. The sun wouldn't set for another half hour, which gave her just enough time for a quick bath. With a happy smile on her face, she hurried out of her room and headed for the lavatory.
…
A little while later, dressed in a simple lilac dress, Sofia made her way to her secret garden. The sun was just about to set, and the cloudless sky was painted in ruby and gold hues. Crickets were starting to chirp all over the castle grounds. The princess passed in her walking and glanced around her, smiling softly when a warm breeze ruffled her lose hair. It was such a beautiful evening. All I'm missing is Cedric. The thought made her giggle. She was, after all, on her way to meet her sorcerer. With that in mind, she continued along the path to her special garden.
Sofia was a little out of breath when she reached the bushes that hid the door to her garden. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the leafy branches to the side and opened the little door, stepping inside. She blinked in amazement when she saw the sight before her. All around the secluded garden, colorful orbs of light flew about like fireflies, their glows not quite bright enough to ruin her view of the stars that were now visible in the steadily darkening sky. In the center of the garden, a hammock hung between two trees, which Sofia assumed had been conjured because they hadn't been there before. Cedric stood beside one of the trees with a lantern near his feet, waiting for her.
"Cedric," the princess called as she approached him.
"Well, hello, Sofia," he greeted her warmly, reaching out to take her hands.
"What's going on?" she asked curiously, eying the hammock.
He smiled and shrugged. "I know you've had a busy week. I thought you might like to take a break from everything and sleep under the stars."
"Ooh, that sounds ah–mazing!" she exclaimed, rising on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "It will be just like camping without really leaving home." She then gave him an imploring look. "You're staying with me, right?"
"Of course, my love." He released her hands and cupped her face. "I haven't seen you much all week, and I've missed you terribly."
"I've missed you too, Cedric," she whispered, closing her eyes as he lowered his head to capture her lips with his. The kiss was tender and sweet, and Sofia reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, not wanting it to end too soon.
When he broke the kiss, Cedric offered his princess a fond smile. "Shall we get settled for the night, then?"
"Yeah…" She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her, suddenly realizing how tired she really was. She smiled sleepily up at him. "I just have one question."
"What is it?"
"What's with all these magic lights?" She gestured to the glowing orbs that were floating around the garden.
"A bit of magical decorating." He grinned when she raised an eyebrow. "I am Cedric the Sensationally Great, after all. I like to show you how sensational I can be."
"Oh, Cedric…" Sofia laughed tiredly and took his hand, pulling him toward the hammock. "You'll always be sensational to me. Now, let's get ready for the night."
The sorcerer chuckled softly. "As you wish."
A few minutes later, sorcerer and princess were lying quite comfortably in the hammock, which was large enough for both of them. Cedric had conjured some pillows and blankets for added comfort. The lantern had gone out, and the magic glowing orbs had vanished, but that was just fine with Cedric as he lay next to his love, both of them gazing quietly up at the jewel–like stars scattered across the night sky. His eyelids started to grow heavy, the sound of crickets chirping and the warmth of the blankets lulling him to sleep…
"Cedric?"
He blinked and turned his head toward the princess. "Yes, Sofia?"
Sofia smiled. "I love you," she said sweetly, snuggling closer to him.
Cedric's heart swelled with happiness at her simple words, simple words that meant the world to him, no matter how often she said them. "I love you too, Sofia," he murmured, turning his body slightly so he could wrap an arm around her.
The two of them were soon sound asleep as the moon and stars continued to dance in the sky above.
A/N: This story for Perfect Gift was harder than it should have been to come up with. But I'm happy with how it turned out. This week was fun. Thank you for reading!