"Mr. Ceedric! I'm ready for my lesson!" Sofia called, knocking on the door to her friend's lair. The door creaked open of its own accord and Sofia peeked her head in. Cedric sat at his desk, his head bowed and his fingers tangled in his black and gray hair. In his other hand he clutched a bottle filled with a thick, black liquid. Sofia's eyes widened as Cedric started to put the vial to his lips, his hands shaking slightly.
"M-Mr. Ceedric?" Sofia asked hesitantly. Said sorcerer let out a shriek of surprise and jerked violently, dropping the vial. It shattered against the floor and the black potion spread across the floor, sizzling slightly. Cedric groaned softly and Sofia gasped. "Oh! I'm sorry, Mr. Ceedric, I didn't mean to startle you!" Sofia said regretfully, bending down to pick up the broken glass. Cedric said nothing, grabbing her wrist before Sofia could pick up the glass or touch what been the contents.
"I'll clean it up later. Let's start your lesson," Cedric said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. Sofia hesitantly nodded and straightened back up, watching as Cedric took off his purple robe and laid it over the spill, revealing the simple white shirt and black pants he wore underneath. Forcing a smile on his lips, Cedric turned back to Sofia and clasped his hands together.
"Let's begin! You have your wand, yes?" Cedric asked, picking up his own wand from the floor. Sofia held up her wand with a proud smile, and Cedric let out a small chuckle at her enthusiasm. "You're going to learn the... the plant growing spell." Sofia noticed the hesitance in Cedric's voice and his sad expression, but thought nothing of it when his smile quickly jumped back into place.
He patiently showed her the proper way to wave her wand and how to pronounce the words. Moving aside, Cedric gestured to the empty pot on his desk, smiling encouragingly at Sofia as she looked at the pot hesitantly. Sofia waved her wand, uttered the magic words, and pointed to the pot. A beautiful rose even more perfect and pink than the rose Goodwin conjured grew instantly in the pot, stunning Sofia and her friend.
"You... You got it right on the first try," Cedric praised, shaking his head in disbelief. Sofia giggled, but quieted when Cedric didn't say anything else. He touched the petals of the flower, the same sad expression on his face from earlier. The rose shrank back into the pot and Cedric put it onto the shelf, trying to ignore the jealousy he felt. A glowing ball swept out of the painting of his parents and landed on Cedric's shoulder, turning into a mini version of his father.
"How pathetic! An eight year old can do that spell better than you!" Goodwin grumbled. The color drained from Cedric's face and he growled softly. "Shut up," he hissed, swatting the tiny version of Goodwin the Great off his shoulder and sniffling softly. Sofia tilted her head, looking at her friend in concern as he muttered under his breath. There was something wrong, and Sofia wouldn't rest until she found out what. Sofia hesitantly walked up to her friend and took one of his gloved hands in her own gently, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"Are you okay, Cedric?" Sofia asked the man softly. Cedric was so upset he didn't even notice Sofia got his name right and he burst into tears at her innocent question, pulling away from her and burying his head in his hands. Sofia recoiled in surprise at the unanticipated reaction, but she overcame her shock and hugged Cedric around the waist tightly.
"Please don't cry, Mr. Ceedric! What's wrong? Why are you so sad?" Sofia asked, her desperation growing as she felt Cedric begin to shake. The sorcerer got to his knees and returned Sofia's embrace, saying nothing as he buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. Sofia felt tears of her own prick her eyes and hugged her friend tighter, letting him cry on her shoulder. Cedric was ashamed and disgusted with himself for taking comfort from a little girl, but he just couldn't pull himself together. To his horror, he started rambling.
"I'm never good enough! Not for my father, not for the king, not for anyone! Everything I do is wrong!" Cedric cried, trembling with grief and rage. "You know that's not true, Mr. Cedric! You're an amazing sorcerer! You're good enough for me!" Sofia said firmly, pulling away slightly to look Cedric in the eye. She pulled her handkerchief out of her bag and gave it to her friend, letting him use it to wipe his eyes.
"You don't understand, Sofia..." Cedric murmured, his eyes downcast as he grimaced. Sofia's face fell. "Then... Then tell me! I want to help! I care about you-"
"No you don't." Sofia felt a tear slip and she gently bit her lip to keep it from quivering. She cupped Cedric's face in her small hands and tilted it upward so the man had to look up at her. Cedric's sorrowful gaze met Sofia's worried one and Cedric felt like he would cry again. He gently pushed Sofia away, standing up and turning so his back faced her.
"Please leave," Cedric whispered, wrapping his arms around himself as his lips began to quiver. Sofia reached out and touched Cedric's elbow lightly, drawing back immediately when he flinched. "I said leave," Cedric choked out, turning his head to glare at Sofia. Sofia shrank back under the hateful gaze of her friend and backed away towards the door, keeping her eyes on Cedric until she closed the door.
Cedric collapsed into the nearest chair, bending over and grabbing at his hair and breathing heavily. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw, shaking his head in disgust as if trying to shake out the memory of Sofia's hurt gaze. He just couldn't do anything right, could he?