It was nearly 9:30A.M. when Cedric woke up the next morning. He dressed wearily and trudged up the stairs. Upon reaching the top, he found Abigail already up and cleaning; the workshop was nearly spotless. Upon his table lay a plate of eggs with bacon and a pile of ham and potato hash. She looked over at him and smiled.
"Good morning, Cedric," she said cheerily. "Breakfast at your table and workshop; just about finished. When can you start teaching me and stuff?"
Cedric, still in a state of shock, gathered himself and replied, "If you're about to graduate, why on earth do you need me to teach you anything? You're graduating younger than any sorcerer I've ever known in all my life, even younger than my father!"
She sighed, "It's the one last thing required by the school before you graduate no matter how old you are or how great your skill levels. There's got to be something you can teach me. I don't know everything yet. I don't know much about potions yet. You could help me out in that area or something."
"Well I am quite handy with potions," Cedric said, "I suppose I can see what we could do." He sat down at the table to eat. "When did you get up?"
"Like an hour ago. I figured since I didn't get much sleep anyway, I might as well be doing something proactive rather than lying around in a pool of self-pity, which reminds me; sorry again about last night. I didn't mean to make such a fuss."
"Oh, it's no problem, really. As long as no one else anywhere in the castle heard you, everything should be fine. King Roland gets especially upset with me if he hears something coming from my tower that wakes him in the night."
As Cedric finished his sentence, a knock came upon the door. Abigail went to open it. In walked Bailywick brushing past Abigail and straight up to Cedric. "The king wants to have a word with you, Cedric, at your leisure."
"Tell him I'm busy today, then," Cedric mumbled without looking up, "I've got no time for him today."
Baileywick didn't move from his spot and Abigail stood awkwardly by the door. The silence was awkward and painful. Cedric could feel Baileywick looking at him. "Are you ignoring direct orders from King Roland, Cedric?" he asked. Cedric knew he couldn't avoid this; he stood up and faced Baileywick.
"Take me to the king, then," he said coldly.
"Um, hey yeah, what about me?" Abigail asked, still standing by the door.
"Just stay here and," he paused, looking around, "clean the- um... just-" he finally sighed, "Just come with me."
Hastily they walked through the halls, Baileywick leading the procession with Cedric nervously fumbling behind him. Abigail walked closely beside Cedric, not wanting to get lost on the way. It was enormously evident that Cedric did not in any way enjoy the company of Baileywick and quite the same in the other direction. Occasionally, Baileywick would look back at Cedric as if to make sure he was still following. Never once did he glance at Abigail walking so close to Cedric.
Abigail took this time to observe. Baileywick was tall and incredibly neatly kept. He continually fondled a pocket watch, opening it up and glancing at it. This time while glancing backwards, he cast a short glance at Abigail. He had rather nice, light green eyes with a small pair of glasses resting on his nose. His hair was grey and combed back neatly without a sign of a hair out of place. While a stern look seemed to be permanently locked onto his face, he seemed fairly kind. He hadn't said a bad word the entire time despite his clear dislike towards Cedric.
Lost in her thought, Abigail managed to drift too close to Cedric and proceeded to trip the both of them. She fell with a majestic thud upon her shoulder, while Cedric managed to catch himself on his hands and knees. Baileywick turned around and went to help her up. "Are you alright?" he asked helping her up. "That was quite a fall."
"Yes, I think I'm alright. I just wasn't looking where I was going, I guess," she answered. "I'm sorry, Cedric. Are you alright as well?" she asked.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just watch where you're going for God's sake, child" he replied as he dusted himself off. It seemed to him as if he was tripping up a lot lately.
"I'm sorry," Baileywick said suddenly, "what's your name, dear?" he asked Abigail.
"I'm Abigail, sir. I'm here as Cedric's apprentice for a short while. We met briefly at the door, I believe," she replied.
"Ah, yes. Well, Abigail, watch where you're going next time, alright? Don't want you getting hurt, now do we?" He smiled which broke the sternness of his face. "Just a little farther now."
This time, Abigail distanced herself from Cedric and walked behind him instead. Cedric still looked incredibly nervous; his face had gone quite pale. He looked as if he'd be ill any second now.
Soon the three of them arrived in the throne room before King Roland and his wife Queen Miranda. The throne room was large; a great stained glass portrait of the royal family was behind the thrones. King Roland looked down upon the two of them strictly while Queen Miranda was smiling.
"Hello, Cedric," King Roland spoke out. His voice was deep and very royal sounding to Abigail. "Please, introduce us properly to your new friend here," he said motioning towards Abigail.
Cedric's hands were trembling and his voice was shaky, but he managed to reply nonetheless. "This is, um... this is A-Abigail. She's, um... been sent as, uh... my apprentice from her, uh... sorcery school." He was making an fantastic fool of himself.
Here, Abigail stepped forward. "Yes, as he said, I'm Abigail. My school has sent me to study with Cedric as my final task before graduation. I'll be out of here by the end of the month; no worries."
"It's an honor to meet you, Abigail," Queen Miranda smiled at her. "We truly hope you are going to enjoy your stay here. How about I get Baileywick to show you around some more?"
"That would be wonderful!" Abigail said rather loudly, "I mean, yes, thank you, your majesty, I would like that very much," she said much quieter this time.
Queen Miranda then called for Baileywick who led her out of the throne room. She looked back at Cedric who was gazing back at her. He looked horribly nervous still and she felt bad for him, but the doors to the throne room were closed and cut off her view as soon as she exited. She hastened to catch up with Baileywick's lengthy strides as he was already headed off in a new direction.
He led her around the entire castle, which took a good two hours or more. Finally, he took her where she really wanted to be: outside! The day was glorious and warm; the sun shone brightly; the sky was free of clouds. He led her through the courtyards and to the gardens below the tower where she slept. The new flowers were beginning to bloom and the air was fragrant with the sweet smells of spring.
"Could I just stay here for a while?" she asked Baileywick.
He nodded, noting as long as she could make her way back. Abigail was an observant girl, so of course she could. Baileywick then left Abigail in the warm afternoon sun. She sat herself down on the edge of the fountain and stared into the clear waters. Suddenly, another face appeared beside her reflection. Abigail looked up and there was Sofia standing behind her. Abigail was so surprised she nearly fell backwards into the water. Sofia grabbed her hand and pulled her up before she could fall in.
"I'm sorry!" the Princess cried out, "I didn't mean to startle you so!"
"Oh don't worry about it, Princess. I'm just a naturally jumpy person, I suppose." Abigail stood and brushed off the seat of her dress. "What are you up to, Sofia?"
"Just on a walk with Clover," she said motioning towards a rabbit that was standing beside her. "We just stopped to say hi to you."
"Oh well that's very kind of you, Princess, and Clover looks like a sweet bunny!" Abigail smiled.
Abigail sat back down on the fountain; Sofia sat next to her while Clover found some, well, clover to eat.
"So," Sofia began, "I hear you're already graduating from your school. How'd that happen?" she asked.
"Oh where to even begin, Princess?" Abigail sighed. "I started school when I was about thirteen, your age. I was the youngest person in the entire school; most people didn't get in 'till they were at least eighteen. The pressure was intense: to be worthy of attending the school at that age. My mom was really proud of me though, which was a nice feeling, so through the next four years, I managed to earn enough credits to graduate! All I have to do is go through one apprenticeship for about a month and then I can graduate.
"My mom says it's in my blood or something, and I've come from a great line of sorcerers. Her parents were royal sorcerers, and her grandparents as well, so I guess I really am destined for great things."
"What about your dad?" Sofia asked. "What's he like?"
"Well," Abigail paused and gazed down at her reflection, "I don't know that much about him to be honest. He was never part of my life. Mom said it was a one time thing and she never saw him again after," she looked up at Sofia, "If you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I guess I do," Sofia answered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or anything."
"Oh don't worry about it. I don't talk about it much since there's no one really to talk to about it. So it's no big deal, really." She smiled, "What about you, Princess? What's your story?"
Sofia smiled and told her whole story to Abigail. Abigail sat quietly and listened to her contently. Once she had finished her story, she stood up and hugged Abigail.
"What's that for, Princess?" Abigail asked, surprised.
"Just because!" she replied, smiling. "I hope we can become friends over the time you're here with us!" She then ran off with Clover running beside her.
Abigail smiled as Sofia ran off. The sun was getting low in the sky and Abigail had missed lunch entirely. She stood and began to make her way back to the castle. As she turned a corner, she bumped into Cedric.
"I have been looking everywhere for you!" he said. "Where have you been all this time?" he asked.
"I'm sorry. I was in the garden with Princess Sofia. I lost track of time is all. What happened with you and King Roland?" she questioned.
"Oh, the usual," he grumbled, "complaints about my magic for the most part. Also, he doesn't believe I'll be able to teach you a single thing; thinks you'd be better off in another kingdom all together. Why'd you even choose me? There's plenty of other sorcerers you could have gone to."
"Yeah, well," Abigail stared at the ground, "you came highly recommended by the school. I told you that already."
"Ah, right, I forgot. Now, if you don't mind, give me the real reason and stop lying. I don't appreciate liars."
"You intrigued me, alright? Son of one of the greatest sorcerers to ever live, yet everyone puts you down. I figured it'd be best to be taught by someone I can relate to."
"Relate to?" he scoffed. "How on earth can you relate to me? You're just a child, yet your skills surpass many. How can you possibly relate to me in any way?"
Abigail looked up suddenly, directly into Cedric's eyes. "You think just because I'm smart everyone just instantly loves me? Cedric, you have no idea, do you? I've been waiting to leave school since I started! I've hated it from the start! Everyone thinks that I think I'm better than the rest of them because I'm smart. They hate me because I'm ahead of them. They think I'm a fraud of some kind or that I'm just one big showoff. Through my years in school, I haven't made a single friend. There have been people I've been forced to do projects with, but not a single one of them stayed around! I have discovered skill isn't admirable; people hate it! People... hate me."
She was shaking by now, but not crying. Hatred and hurt burned in her eyes as she continued to glare at Cedric. She was out of words to say; her face burned and she felt sick. She broke her gaze with Cedric (who still hadn't said a word,) and began to walk briskly back to the castle. She could hear Cedric turn and run to catch up with her. She ran up the castle steps and through the doors. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to go now, her anger muddled her mind. Cedric finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm. Abigail didn't bother running; she was done running. Cedric turned her around to face him. He was speaking, but Abigail didn't hear anything. She finally broke down and started crying. She collapsed to the floor, her sobs echoing throughout the large foyer.
"What's happening here?" a voice asked suddenly.
Abigail didn't look up for she was still crying, though she could tell that the voice belonged to Baileywick. Cedric began talking frantically while Baileywick shushed him repeatedly. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she finally looked up. Baileywick knelt next to her, offering her his hand. She took took hold of it. Baileywick then stood and helped her up. He led her down the halls, leaving an awkwardly standing Cedric behind. She didn't ask where Baileywick was leading her since she was still shaking and disoriented. They entered a room near the end of a hallway. It was a bedroom with a table in the center. The table was set with some bread, some soup, and a bottle of wine.
"Sit down and help yourself," Baileywick said to her. "This is usually where I eat. I'll go and get some more food for myself." He led Abigail to the chair and seated her. He then proceeded to leave.
Abigail sat there, still feeling numb. She looked around: off to her left was another room which looked like a washing room; a bed lay behind her with a large window in back from which she could see the moon beginning to rise in a pink sky; around the room were lit candles to brighten the place up a bit; and a few odds and ends were placed on a desk and various shelves throughout the room.
She turned back to the food as Baileywick came back in with another tray of food for himself. He placed the tray on the table and then retrieved another chair from his desk. He sat across from her. She felt slightly awkward in this situation, but she was starving, so she ate her fill and sat back in the chair. She looked across at Baileywick who was still eating his meal, doing so in a slow and mannerly fashion.
"So, what's all this about, then?" she asked.
"Thought I'd do something nice for you," Baileywick replied. "I highly doubt Cedric was any comfort. What was all the crying about?"
She sighed and swirled the last bit of soup around the bowl idly. "I don't know, really," she said, letting out a soft sigh. "I usually don't ever cry, especially around people I don't know well. I guess I just finally had enough of holding it in, you know? There's just been too much happening in my life lately that I can't get a grip on."
Baileywick said nothing and nodded. She continued, "There's been stuff I've kind of been keeping from Cedric: nothing bad or anything, just, like-" she paused, "like my mom died last year; there was a fire and she was unable to get out in time. I was still at school, due to come home on vacation the next day. When I got the news, everyone was suddenly nice to me, and to be honest, that just made everything worse. The last time I talked to her, she told me I had to go to Cedric, son of Goodwin the Great, for my apprenticeship. I didn't know why, and I didn't bother asking, but I found out eventually.
"I feel bad for keeping this stuff from Cedric, but I don't feel like there's any need to tell him. If I don't, it won't affect him and it won't affect me. I'll just finish this apprenticeship and be on my way. Either way, it's hard sometimes with no one to write home to."
"I can understand that," Baileywick replied thoughtfully. "Please, if you ever need to talk to someone other than Cedric, just come and find me."
Abigail smiled as she stood up and thanked Baileywick. She felt better, a lot better; it was wonderful to have someone to talk to that didn't interrupt or disregard what she was saying. She felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders as she walked along the castle corridors towards the tower. She came to the door and knocked. She received a gruff "come in." She pushed the door open and walked in. Candles were lit here and there, mostly concentrated on Cedric's workbench. She crossed the floor to Cedric's side while Wormwood continued to glare at her from the rafters.
Cedric was hunched over a few spell books and a few potion recipes scattered about his desk. Abigail looked at them thoughtfully: there was an invisibility potion, a transfer spell, hypnosis, sleep spells, knockout potions, what caught her eye the most, however, was a book open to the Amulet of Avalor, with many descriptions about its array of powers. Cedric turned suddenly and she jumped backwards. Wormwood cawed and flew down just grazing the top of her head.
"There you are!" Cedric looked at her. "We've barely gotten a thing done. Tomorrow, I'll be needing much more help before I can teach you anything."
"Yes, sure that's fine." She replied, fixing her hair that Wormwood hit. "What's all the spells and potions and things you got there?" she asked.
"Nothing, just working out lesson plans," he said unsurely.
"Do you need any assistance?" she questioned, looking down at him. "It's not too horribly late."
"No, absolutely not. I have everything under control here. Go clean the potion bottles and dust the bookshelves if you need something to do," he said.
She shrugged and did his bidding relatively quickly. Before long, she was sitting next to Cedric again.
Cedric sighed, "Alright, what is it?"
Abigail shrugged, "I don't know. Just watching you work and such. Quite fun to watch the great sorcerer at work."
"All I'm doing is reading," he grumbled.
"Yeah, I see that," she grinned.
"Well, then, do you mind?" he asked more sternly.
"Nope, not at all!" She smiled wider.
Wormwood cawed loudly, landing himself on Cedric's shoulder. "Not now, Wormy." Cedric brushed him off. "You know, I'm getting fairly irritated with you, young lady." He turned and faced Abigail directly.
She was still smiling at him. "I know you are," she giggled.
"So after all that from earlier, this is how you end up?" he asked, quite irritated now.
"Being upset and grumpy all the time most certainly will get you nowhere, so why bother?" she questioned. "Be happy now and again! Really, you should try it sometime. It might do you some good."
"I'm happy plenty," he retorted, "but only when I'm alone."
"Oh, but you're never alone; Wormy is with you all the time, practically, unless you mean... Wormwood doesn't always make you happy!" She grinned slyly.
Wormwood settled on Cedric's desk and glared at Abigail. Cedric sighed and turned back to his books. Abigail shrugged and walked to the stone stairway and sat down on the bottom step with her chin rested on her hands. She stared at Cedric: he was hunched over his books, flipping through them rapidly. He continually turned to write a few things down, then went straight back to his books. He stood up suddenly and stretched his back. He removed his robe, laid it across the chair, and then sat back down. Without his robe, he looked even thinner, almost gaunt.
Wormwood cawed suddenly and loudly, causing Cedric and Abigail to jump. Cedric glanced back at Abigail, still sitting on the step. He shut his books, stood up, and walked over to her. He towered over her, looking down. Suddenly he sat himself down next to Abigail and looked back at her. This close, she could see clearly into his eyes, which were a soft brown color and were strangely comforting. She suddenly felt awkward and looked away up to the rafters.
"Not so nice on the other side, is it?" he asked suddenly.
Abigail looked back at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Being stared at, of course," he replied, cracking a small smile. It soon disappeared as fast as it came.
"Yeah, well, at least you're interesting to watch," she replied. "All I'm doing is sitting."
"That's what I was doing," Cedric answered. "What's so interesting about me?"
"I don't know. You just interest me is all. People in general interest me. I observe is all. I also observe that it's clear Wormwood really doesn't like me." She glanced up at the raven which now loomed on a rafter above her head.
"He doesn't like a lot of people," Cedric replied, looking up at the bird. "He only really trusts me: I've raised him since he was just a fledgling."
"Wow, that long?" she asked. "I had a cat once; it ran away. Quite frankly, I just think animals in general hate me or something, not that I blame them."
"I'm convinced no one likes me other than Wormwood," Cedric mumbled, seemingly to himself.
"I like you. I like you very much," Abigail said somewhat quietly. "You're pretty great, if you ask me."
"Oh," he said surprised, "well, I-I... thank you, I guess." He fumbled with his shirt sleeve awkwardly.
Cedric stood up abruptly, "I think it's best we both be off to bed. I have much to teach you in the morning. Be up bright and early." He walked off briskly, Wormwood taking off behind him.
Abigail watched him as he descended down the stairs to his quarters. She then stood up and climbed the stairs to her own room. She nestled down into her blankets and listened to the crickets sing below. She thought about Cedric: she barely knew him, though she had been here for only two days. She planned on changing this starting tomorrow. She dozed off soon after.