Cedric woke early the next morning and arrived at the top of the staircase just as Abigail reached the bottom of her's. She smiled as they met in the middle of the room, "Here and ready to learn, sir." She said cheerily.
"Alright," he replied dryly, "come with me." He led her over to his desk, "How'd you sleep last night?"
"Just fine and dandy, thanks." she replied. "And yourself?"
"Mhmm," he mumbled back, as he browsed through his books. "Aha! Here it is, Potion Practice for Beginners this should do fine." he declared as he set the book down.
"First, we shall learn a simple potion, to turn any living thing, into a lizard, and then how to change it back again."
"What's the point of that?" Abigail asked, "Some desperate need to turn your enemies into iguanas and trap them in a terrarium?"
"That's not important, what's important is that we hurry this along so I can get back to work, and you can get back to cleaning and things. Go fetch me an empty bottle from the shelf and we'll get started, alright?"
Abigail took off to do his bidding, also grabbing the proper "ingredients" for the potion; a few lizard tails, blood of a dragon, and the sort. He then guided her on how to prepare the potion, and then the spell recited over the cauldron.
"Place a drop on Wormwood, please." He asked.
Abigail approached the bird, who took off when she came near, cawing angrily. She looked back at Cedric who sighed and stood up.
"Wormwood, get down here please, I need you for this, I'm most certainly not turning myself into a lizard so get yourself down here now!"
Wormwood refused, he cawed rapidly and angrily back at Cedric. "Don't make me freeze you!" Cedric yelled back up angrily, "I will not hesitate to freeze you in place if you do not get down here!" Wormwood still didn't come down. Cedric sighed, "Just this once, Wormy, promise." With this, Wormwood flew down reluctantly.
He smiled, and Abigail dripped some of the potion onto Wormwood. He shook slightly and spun into the air a bit and suddenly, a small black, angry lizard stood in his place. Abigail grinned and bit her lower lip.
"Now, do we have to change him back? I really seem to like him a lot better this way." She laughed and lizard Wormy squeaked in rage.
Cedric kept back a laugh and cleared his throat, "Sorry but, I believe we must change him back. The spell is simple, as you know, I'm sure, say the spell clearly, and confidently."
"Yeah, I know," Abigail smiled again, "Alright then, what's the spell?"
"It's incredibly simple, and somewhat ridiculous. 'Lizardo Changeo' is how it goes then. Give it a whirl."
Abigail grabbed her wand and recited the spell and Wormwood changed back into an angry bird and flew directly back to the rafters. She laughed as Wormwood glared angrily down at her and begged him to teach her more. Cedric grinned and led her back to the table; and so the day was spent teaching Abigail a variety of potions, from invisibility, to the ability to breathe underwater, he had it all. Through it all, Abigail was enthralled, which made Cedric strangely happy himself.
By dinner time, they'd gone through about ten potions, and Cedric was exhausted, as was Abigail. Abigail now sat on the floor spinning her wand around lazily while he sat on his stool half asleep.
"I'm hungry." Abigail piped up suddenly.
Cedric jerked his head up from it's slowly drooping position, "Well," he yawned, "I guess it's past dinner time so, I suppose we should get something to eat."
He began to rise from his seat when Abigail jumped up, "I'll get it, I remember the way just fine. You look way more exhausted than I am. What do you want to eat?"
He shrugged, "Whatever's left over, as usual. Thank you, Abigail."
She smiled and picked up her wand and darted out the door. Cedric lowered himself back down onto his stool and looked around for Wormwood. He finally spotted him on top of a shelf and called him down. He flew gracefully down and landed in front of Cedric. He cawed somewhat grumpily at Cedric's face.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to her eventually. I'm not even used to her yet, but she is a joy to work with." He rested his chin in his hand and looked back at Wormwood.
Wormwood shook his feathers and turned his back at Cedric.
He sighed, "Don't be such a grump, Wormy. She'll be gone soon enough and everything will revert back to normal for the both of us."
Wormwood looked back at him, looking for reassurance.
"I absolutely promise, it will be like she was never even here. I probably won't even miss her."
Probably, he thought to himself.
Abigail made her way through the large castle once again, headed for the kitchen. The halls were dark now, with only a few torches and candles lit here and there. The atmosphere was exactly what Abigail enjoyed best. She slowed down and took her time, gazing at the variety of tapestries and portraits which hung about the long walls. There was one of nearly everyone in the castle, from the chefs, to the maids and servants. She wondered if there was one of Cedric somewhere in these halls. I should paint one of him, she thought to herself as she walked, that'd surprise him.
Soon she reached the doors to the kitchen, all seemed dark inside. She gently pushed the doors open and looked inside. No one was there, everyone had gone to bed already. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she breathed in the smells of the kitchen. She crept in and grabbed a few slices of bread and two slabs of ham and put them on a plate. She also took a jug of water and slipped back out of the kitchen and made her way back.
Upon reaching the door, she found Sofia, standing in front of the door, looking ready to knock.
"Sofia," Abigail whispered, "What are you doing all the way over on this side of the castle at this hour?"
Sofia jumped a bit and turned to Abigail, "I couldn't sleep, again. Sometimes I come to Mr. Ceedric when I can't sleep." She replied.
"Well, I'm bringing in some late dinner, come on in, Princess."
She pushed the door open with her foot- as her hands were full- and Sofia ran in ahead of her. Cedric turned when he heard them come in. Upon seeing Sofia, he opened his arms and she threw her arms around him. Abigail was seeing a side of Cedric she hadn't yet seen of him, and she was amazed. She walked over and shoved over some books with one hand and placed the food down on the table. Sofia had managed to climb onto Cedric's lap, and Cedric reached over with one hand for the food.
"Princess I'm afraid you're getting a bit big for this now." he said as he took a bite of bread.
"No I'm not," she replied, "I'm not!"
"Alright, tonight is fine, but you should really go to your own father for this, Princess."
Sofia shook her head and then laid her head down on his shoulder. Abigail grabbed a chair in the corner and pulled it next to Cedric and began to ate. Cedric continued to eat, carefully as Sofia began to doze off. Abigail poured them both some water and handed the glass to Cedric.
"Does this sort of thing happen often?" She whispered.
"Just recently, actually. I'm not sure why, she's always had an odd attachment to me." He replied softly. "No idea why but I've just accepted it at this point, she's getting a bit heavy to carry all the way back to her room though." he laughed quietly.
"Well, it's definitely a side of you I haven't seen yet." She smiled a bit.
He sighed, "Yes, well, I-." he stopped.
"You can tell me, if you want."
"I've just never had anyone like me very much before, I've accepted this now. She refuses to go to King Roland for her troubles. I've asked her why and she won't tell me."
"Maybe, maybe she's just wondering about her birth father?"
"Huh, I didn't think of that." he replied thoughtfully.
"I went through the exact same thing when I was about her age. As a child, I was fine and happy with just my mom, but eventually I started wondering. I'm still wondering." Abigail glanced up at Cedric.
"Do you know anything about him?" He asked, thoughtfully as Sofia shifted slightly in her sleep.
"I found a few things out recently. A lot since mom die-." She stopped short realizing what she was saying.
Cedric looked up suddenly at her. "Is that what your big secret is?" He exclaimed somewhat loudly.
"Yeah," she stared down at her hands, "that's it. I just haven't wanted to talk about it, at all. Till now."
"How'd she die?" he asked gently.
"There were raids and rebellions in the village. Our house was attacked while I was at school, our house was burned down and mom didn't make it out alive. I found out the next morning when an owl brought a note and a few other things from her. The note was basically a final goodbye she wrote and gave to our owl right before everything collapsed."
"Why would you keep that from me?"
"Well, there was one other thing, the owl had with it, two actually. One was a drawing, I had made for her when I was little, the other was another letter, but not one addressed to me. It was addressed to her, from," she paused and took a deep breath, "It was from you."
Cedric looked confused, "What do you mean from me?" he asked, puzzled.
There was a silence for a while. All that could be heard was Sofia's slow breathing and the sound of the wind outside. The candle was burning low, threatening to go out. Abigail watched the flame dance around, trying to keep above the liquid wax. Exactly how she felt right now, about to drown but she had to speak, before her flame went out.
"My mom, Lily Chandra. The letter, was from you to her directly. It was from her final year of sorcery school, it was, quite obviously a final goodbye love letter of some sort. There was a scrawled message on the back as well. She said," she took one last shaky breath, "She said you were my father."
Upon her last word the candle burnt out with a puff of smoke and only silence surrounded them. She could hear the rustle of fabric as Cedric shifted slightly. Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and the light of the stars outside the window casted dull light into the scene. Cedric made a noise, as if he were about to say something, but nothing escaped his mouth. There they sat in awkward silence, with Sofia still fast asleep on Cedric. Sofia began to stir and Cedric rose up.
"I should take Sofia to bed." He declared awkwardly. "I'll return in a bit, if you can stay awake a while longer."
With that he rose slowly and quietly and silently exited; Abigail was left alone in the darkness. A heaviness sunk to the bottom of her stomach as she sat in the piercing silence. She stood and walked up the stairs to the window in an attempt to catch a breath of fresh air. It had grown windy outside and a light rain had begun to fall. Thunder rumbled far off in the distance calling an oncoming storm. The fresh air began to ease the feeling in her stomach as she took in the sweet, damp air.
The sickness in her stomach returned suddenly as she heard approaching footsteps outside. She turned as Cedric walked in, he looked tired and somewhat dazed. He walked over to her and took her by her hand and led her back down to the chairs. They sat down and faced each other, so close their knees touched. Abigail felt light headed, she felt as if she couldn't look him in the eye. At the same time, she felt as if an enormous weight was lifted off her back.
"So," he began, "Can I see the letter?"
"Light another candle, I'll go get the letter." She responded quietly as she rose up.
As she walked up the stairs the light of a candle shed light below. She returned soon with a well weathered, slightly crumpled letter in her hands. She walked silently over to Cedric and handed the letter over to him. As he took it, his fingers brushed against her's, they were cold as ice. He unfolded the letter and began to read. His eyes swept back and forth, taking in each word. Once he reached the end, he flipped the paper over to read the message scrawled on the back. After he completed that he handed the letter back to Abigail who tucked it safely into her pocket.
"It was one night, one time." He muttered to himself, "Just once under the full moon."
"So that's why I was named Abigail." she whispered to herself.
"What?" He looked up at her.
"I said, I know why I'm named Abigail now. Abigail means 'father's joy' and my last name means 'of the moon'. I'm my father's joy of the moon."
"Huh, interesting speculation."
"So, what now?"
"Well now that I know why exactly you've come here, maybe I should send you back."
"What?" she nearly leapt out of her seat, "No I actually need to finish this apprenticeship or else I won't graduate!"
"Well that's not exactly my problem, now is it?" he said coldly.
Abigail leaned back in her chair and groaned in frustration, "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I should never have told you this I should have just kept it to myself."
There was more silence before Cedric said, "Did your mother really keep this from you you're entire life?"
"Yeah, I only had little bits and pieces about you. I knew the two of you went to school together and you were a year ahead, so you graduated and left her behind promising to return one day. You never did but she had come to terms with it, but she said that no matter what, she'd love you till the day she died. Who would have guessed that day would come as soon as it did."
"When'd she tell you all of that?"
"When I was quite young, actually. Before I had gone off to school. I loved the story, and she told it to me whenever I asked, which was regularly. I dreamt often of you, well I guess not you specifically. I mean, I dreamt of whoever my father was; I saw him as a great man, probably a royal sorcerer with great bounty and great life. As I grew older, I wondered where you were, if you were possibly dead, or remarried with many children. I was desperate to learn but school kept me incredibly busy with other forms of education. Then when I heard of an apprenticeship and the opportunity to choose your own teacher I was going to choose a sorcerer in another kingdom; then the letter came and I knew I had to choose you. I wasn't sure whether I'd reveal the news to you, or just enjoy a short time with you. I guess I know for sure now though which path I've ended up on.
"Through it all though I don't want to just be cast out. Not now, just let me finish my apprenticeship and then I'll be gone. I want to leave this country, I want to see new places, learn new things and see adventure. To do that I need to finish school, if you wish, you would never see nor hear from me ever again."
There was another silence between the two of them after her words. Cedric was leaning back in his chair, watching her. He leaned forwards slowly, coming close to her own face.
"You look just like her," he whispered. "all the beauty pressed into such a small being." He leaned back again.
Abigail could feel herself blush. Outside the rain began to pour and the thunder grew louder but the silence inside felt clearer, rather than deadly. Abigail yawned, as did Cedric and both rose simultaneously. Cedric, unexpectedly reached out and took Abigail gently by the shoulders. He seemed to be searching her face for something, what she couldn't tell with the shadows cast across his face. Slowly, he pulled her towards him into some sort of awkward hug. She threw her arms round him and embraced him, which he didn't expect, clearly. Abigail exhaled a sigh of relief and released him. She smiled, then turned and went up to bed, more than exhausted.
It had been a few hours since Abigail had fallen asleep when a thunderous knock was heard below her. She rolled off her mattress and threw on her robe, she and Cedric met in the middle of the room right as the loud knock sounded again. She looked sleepily at Cedric, who merely shrugged and opened the door. There in the doorway was an angry chef pointing at Cedric. He pushed past Cedric and straight towards Abigail. He pointed a finger directly at her face, Abigail stared back at him in a sleepy stupor.
"What the hell do you want?" Cedric turned round towards the chef.
"SHE is the one who stole food from MY kitchen." He hissed through his teeth.
Abigail coughed upon smelling his putrid morning breath, "Yeah, I didn't steal it, I just took it. Hey, sorcerers and sorceresses need food to survive too."
He laughed sarcastically, "Oh so you're a little jokester too, eh?" He glared at her, "Keep out of my kitchen, or I'll tell the king, and 'ave you 'anged."
"Clearly, I'm shaking in my-my slippers. Whatever, how much have I really dented your inventory anyway? I took barely enough food to keep a damn mouse alive, what on earth is the big deal?"
"The 'big deal' is, I don't trust you, you lie. I can tell by the looks on your face you ain't nothin' but a filthy liar. I bet you ain't even a proper 'sorceress'."
Cedric stepped between the two of them, "Now look here, she's a brilliant sorceress, what would you know? You spend your life in the kitchen, and barely step foot outside it. If you demand some sort of pay for your 'lost food' I'll return the favor. However she's done nothing wrong in my eyes, she's no liar, and she's brilliant. So if you don't mind, it's five o'clock in the morning, and I'd like more sleep. Good morning to you sir." Cedric pushed the chef back out the door and slammed it solidly.
"Cedric, I'm really sorry about this." Abigail sighed, "I didn't know anyone would flip out so much over such a small amount of food."
Cedric rolled his eyes, "He's always grumpy and irritable, don't take it too personally. He's been increasingly horrible since he got himself a new sou chef, an apprentice of his own. He also has trust issues, so it's been hard for him, I suppose. Anyway, I think I need to sleep in, today. You should as well, Abigail, off to bed with you."
Abigail waved wearily to Cedric as she mounted the stairs. From her tower, she could see the sky was beginning to turn pink, and the stars began to disappear. The birds were beginning to stir, and life was starting over. Abigail, fell back onto her mattress exhaustedly and listened to the birds early chirps. She was relieved of her burdenous secrets, she could carry out her final apprenticeship in peace. She was at peace with her life for once, she almost looked forward to her graduation. She wondered if Cedric would attend, she hoped desperately he would. Her thoughts consumed her until she drifted to sleep as the sun slid above the horizon.