Author's note: I want to thank everyone again for the support that this odd little side project has received. Not much else to say except I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
Sofia stood in her chambers, her eyes watering at the bright light streaming in through her window. She made it back in plenty of time, she knew. Crossing the room to her bed, she noticed that she had stained some of the bedding while she slept last night. Thank goodness Mr Ceedric has those black sheets. She thought with relief. She stripped the sheets herself, not wanting to leave them for Violet to deal with. Her mind reeled with all of the events and information from the past night and this morning.
If Mr Ceedric has treated all of the women in the castle, that means he helped my mom. She thought, not sure how that information made her feel. She wished she could talk to Amber, but her sister had returned to her role as Queen of the Rompkins shortly after her eighteenth birthday, leaving Sofia to go through this without any sisterly advice. Shortly, Violet knocked, rousing her out of her thoughts. Sofia quickly answered the door, greeting the maid as cheerfully as possible.
"Morning, Princess. Did'ya sleep well last night?" Violet inquired good-naturedly.
"Yes, Violet, thank you." Sofia answered, reasoning that once she was in Cedric's bed, she did more or less sleep well. Violet drew her bath, and Sofia dutifully stripped and went in. When the maid moved to grab her night clothes, Sofia tried her best to scramble out and stop her, the princess's face turning bright red in embarrassment.
"Violet, wait!" She cried, one leg thrown over the side of the tub. The maid was unphased.
"Oh, I was wondering when this would happen." She cooed gently. Sofia avoided her kind gaze, cheeks still flaming.
"I'll fetch you some supplies while you bathe." Violet promised, gathering the soiled clothes and hurrying from the room. Sofia relaxed into the tub, relishing in the feel of the soothing water on her skin. Her eyes were just beginning to slip closed when Violet returned. With a gentle scolding about the dangers of falling asleep in the bath, she helped Sofia climb out and get dried off. Returning to the bedroom, Sofia saw a small stack of red dresses laid out on her bed, and wrinkled her nose in displeasure.
"I can't wear my normal dresses?" She asked, lifting one to look it over.
"Not until you're done. These were Princess Amber's, so they'll be a little big on you, but they'll do for now. We'll have Coulette make you some of your own, now that you need them." Sofia held the dress up to her body, suppressing an eye roll at the understatement of their size difference. Amber stood nearly a full head and shoulders above Sofia, and though slim, was not petite like she was. Her eyes fell to something else laying on the bed next to the dresses.
"What are these?" She asked Violet, lifting one to eye it suspiciously.
"Bloodmoss sewn into cotton casing. It catches most of the problem" Violet informed her matter-of-factly. The chambermaid had come across Sofia's hidden soiled bedding and was gathering it up to be laundered. Sofia wondered about her issue being referred to as a problem. She'd been scared out of her mind at what it meant, but Mr Ceedric's description of it had been all positive words. Sofia tugged on her undergarments, and Violet helped her into the first red dress, which was bordering on comically large. On her way out, Violet stopped at the door to add one last thought.
"That sorcerer may be a bumbling fool, but he works miracles when it comes to this. Everyone here goes to him." She confided, unknowingly angering the princess with her negative description of the royal sorcerer. Sofia had spent her whole time in the palace trying to change public perception of her friend, and it pained her to hear her favorite maid speak of him that way. Sofia examined herself in the mirror with a frown, piling her hair into a sloppy updo.
"Mr Ceedric is an amazing sorcerer and a kind man." She corrected the maid, trying to keep her voice even. The sound of the door closing left her to wonder if Violet heard her response. With a sigh, she left the room to head down to breakfast with her family.
Cedric was glad he paid attention as Sofia led him through the labyrinthine paths of the castle's hidden core. He found his way back to his tower with a reasonable amount of ease. He was still in a state of disbelief as he opened the heavy wooden door of his workshop. The fact that there were secret passages running all through the palace and he'd been completely unaware, while a mere child knew them by heart was baffling. What other secrets is Sofia keeping? He wondered. He gave Wormwood an absentminded pat as he passed the bird's perch.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Cedric." Wormwood mused, cocking his head at the sorcerer.
"Hmm? Yes, quite. Did you know there were secret tunnels leading all over the castle, Wormy?" Cedric asked the raven. If a bird could look shocked, Wormwood did. He considered pointing out that such a discovery could be used to help them overthrow the king, but he was well aware that plans of treason had been quietly forsaken by his master long ago. The change started when he and Sofia became friends, then it grew more obvious when Cedric was caught and promised Sofia to abandon his efforts. Wormwood thought they would continue in secret, but when the Queen had died, and the loss nearly destroyed Sofia, it became apparent that Cedric would no longer entertain plots against the royal family.
"You don't say?" Wormwood settled on his noncommittal response. Cedric simply nodded, already seated at his worktable and scanning his list of things that needed accomplished for the day.
"Sofia, there you are!" Roland declared as his youngest daughter entered the dining hall. He was surprised to see her dressed in a color other than her signature lilac, but then he remembered what the red dress symbolized, blushing slightly at the knowledge that his little girl was finally all grown up. It only made the topic he wanted to discuss all the more urgent.
"Good morning, Dad. Good morning, Tristan." Sofia said, pausing to kiss her six-year-old brother on the head as she passed him on the way to her seat. He beamed up at her, food already covering his face, reminding her so much of her older brother when he was little.
"Mo'ning, Pobea!" He replied, her heart warming at the sound of his cute little voice. She even loved his speech impediment, though their father was sensitive about it. Not a day went by that she didn't miss her mother terribly, but Tristan was absolutely precious to her, and she couldn't imagine life without him.
"Sofia. Good morning, Sofia." Roland corrected his son gently. Tristan repeated the words dutifully, but they came out exactly the same as they had on his first attempt.
"Where's James?" Sofia asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise.
"He was summoned by Sir Finnegan at dawn." Her father explained, waving his hand. A knot formed in Sofia's stomach. There had been growing tensions between some of the kingdoms for months now, and she'd been dreading the day that James might be called upon to help settle the disputes should they go beyond peace talks.
"Is it-" She began, but her father held his hand up to stop her, nodding in Tristan's direction.
"I'm sure there was just a dragon to be dealt with or something like that." He reassured, but Sofia wasn't sure if it was the truth, or purely for the youngest prince's benefit. A plate of delicious looking pancakes were placed in front of her, but she frowned at them. Between the worry for her older brother and the wonderful breakfast Cedric shared with her, she could scarcely bring herself to look at food right now. What she did look at was the unfamiliar servant delivering her meal.
"Where is Baileywick?" She demanded of the young man, who simply looked about in panic, unsure of a satisfactory answer.
"He's resting." Came Roland's abrupt reply. His voice lacked emotion, but his face gave away everything Sofia needed to know. Their faithful steward had been resting quite often of late, and everyone in the palace was preparing for the worst.
"I'm gunna fight dagons, too!" Tristan announced, his face displaying his sincerity. Sofia giggled, reaching over to wipe some syrup off of the boy's nose.
"Perhaps you will, some day." She agreed. He returned to shoveling his pancakes into his mouth, his long blonde hair falling into the syrup. Given the circumstances of his birth, and the fact that he was the youngest and last of Roland's children, he mostly was permitted to do as he pleased, and he was adamant about keeping his dishwater curls instead of adopting a style more akin to his father or brother's. Sofia returned her attention to her place setting.
"I'm not feeling terribly hungry, may I be excused?" She asked. Roland studied her carefully.
"Sofia, we need to discuss your debutant ball. It's past time to present you." He began, ready for the battle he knew would come.
"Dad, I keep telling you, I'm not ready for that." She said, trying to shut down the conversation they'd had so many times before.
"And I believe I've been very sensitive to your needs, Sofia. But if we don't do it soon, people will talk. Not just about you, but the state of affairs in the castle. Think how it looks to others, as if I'm unable to throw my daughter a simple ball. There will be rumors of incompetence, or even financial troubles. It must be done, and soon." Roland reasoned with the girl, unable to keep the edge out of his tone. There were enough troubles in the kingdom without manufacturing conspiracies.
"I do not wish to be presented or courted." Sofia stated firmly, emphasizing each word as she spoke. Her father drooped his head, running an anxious hand through his greying hair.
"I'm not saying you have to accept an offer, just make the appearance of being available. Please, sweetheart." He urged her. Sofia crossed her arms, turning to face away from her father.
"Fine. May I go, now? I have a magic lesson." She stated, rising to her feet before he could answer.
"Sofia!" Her father's tone warned, but she refused to entertain that other discussion.
"I said I'd attend your ridiculous ball. You can at least allow me this." She insisted. Her father's sigh told her that he wasn't going to protest further. This time.
"Tell Cedric that I'll need him to aide me in the preparations." He conceded. With that, Sofia left the dining hall and made a beeline for the comfort of Cedric's workshop. She burst into the tower without even bothering to knock.
"Come right in, Sofia." Cedric said sarcastically, his back to her as he bent over his cauldron to work.
"My father wants you to help him plan my death sentence." She snapped, voice dripping with venom. It wasn't aimed at her friend, but born of her utter distaste for the topic. Cedric's hands stilled as he glanced over his shoulder at the princess standing behind him. He had known this moment was coming, and yet it felt like he'd been blindsided by it. Gathering his composure, he turned back to his potion, sure he wouldn't be able to speak if he could see her.
"Marriage is hardly a death sentence, little one." He insisted, though he didn't want anything to do with talking her into the process that would lead to her vows.
"Spiritual death, then." She modified her statement. Cedric's hand gripped the beaker within it tightly.
"You may find a suitor you love." He offered, though it killed him to do so. The thought of Sofia leaving the palace to become future Queen of some far away kingdom who only visited on Wassalia, and even then with precious little time to spend with him, cut him to the core. He knew it was an inevitable reality, but he was in no hurry to see it come to fruition. Couldn't she just stay a little girl and live here forever? I'm sure I must have a spell for that somewhere. He plotted to himself, but knew full well he wouldn't follow through with such a plan.
"I know all my potential suitors, and I feel nothing but friendship at best for any of them. I don't wish to learn which of them desire more than that from me, either." Sofia explained. The thought of receiving amorous confessions from the boys she had played pirates and went on adventures with bothered her deeply, almost as if any of them that came forward would be admitting to only having cultivated her favor for their romantic or political intentions and not because they truly were her friends.
"Alright, but you could learn to love one, couldn't you?" Cedric countered, doing his best to focus on counting the drops of lavendar essence he was adding to the cauldron. Sofia marched across the room until their faces were mere inches away from each other, her sapphire eyes drilling into his chocolate brown ones.
"Did you learn to breath, Mr Ceedric, or did it just come naturally?" Sofia inquired. Cedric tried to look away, but she merely followed him, maintaining the uncomfortable eye contact.
"It came naturally." He muttered, well aware of what her line of questioning was meant to prove.
"And if you breathed all your life with your mouth and nose, and suddenly you needed to breath through your eyes, could you make do?" She continued her interrogation. Cedric quirked an eyebrow in very real surprise, which soon gave way to a sadness he couldn't fully explain.
"Do you mean to tell me that your heart is already spoken for, child?" He asked, effectively masking all feeling from his question. He watched the blush spread across her pale skin, and she darted her eyes away, releasing him from their spell. He took a step back to regain some semblance of personal space. So it's true, then. He concluded with a scowl.
He returned to his work, trying hard not to consider the implications of her reaction or why it bothered him so. For a few minutes, the tower was dreadfully quiet. Sofia tidied up some haphazard papers and books on his desk, not sure what else to say. Finally, her thoughts turned to the telling absence of the family steward.
"Could we do something for Baileywick?" She asked. She knew the older man was something of a sore subject for her friend, but was sure Cedric wouldn't want to leave him suffering, either.
"Sofia, you know I can't." He told her gently.
"I just mean something to help him rest. I want to make him feel better." She replied. Cedric frowned. He personally didn't give a rat's ass how the old man felt, but as usual, Sofia believed him to be a far better man than he really was, and he was loathe to disappoint her.
"As soon as this is finished." He conceded.
Author's note: Sorry we didn't get back to the dream in this chapter, I just needed to set some plot up and let you know where some of the other characters are and what's going on with them. I promise we get back to the main plot soon.