Chapter 29: Pretenses
The door clicked open. Flinging herself upright Sofia had no time to hide, or really react in any way beyond the fleeting invention of an excuse. But the lack of a knock, or really any ceremony betrayed its origin. In Scarlett strode as if this was indeed very much her own domain. She dawned a confident smile, a determined presence as she floated in, and within her arms she held an intricately wrapped gift.
"Well you've been busy." The copy's eyes flung open, and the faintest squint that passed in an instant came and faded away. Confident airs restored, she strode over to the dressing table, setting the package down slowly and seating herself in front of the mirror.
"Good to see you Sofia, I'm so glad you survived, for the both of us."
Irritated beyond measure, Sofia gripped her wand and strode up alongside the troublesome girl. "Just what do you think you've been up to?"
"Up to? My Sofia, whatever do you mean?" Scarlett was smiling into the mirror's reflection, lifting her hair up and tossing it about, as if primping for another royal engagement.
"That's enough." Sofia slammed her hand on the tabletop, stopping Scarlett in her tracks. Brush returned to the table, finally Scarlett looked up.
"Alright, what's got you so worked up? I already said I was glad you lived. Did you save everyone else as well?"
"Yes, but that's not the point and you know it." The girl just smiled, dropping her head slightly to the side. "You've got some explaining to do, so start." Sofia glared down at Scarlett. An exasperated sigh, and Scarlett shrugged.
"Just what did you hear? I think I'm doing rather well at keeping everyone happy, given the poor situation you left me." The infuriating girl turned back to the mirror, carefully unclipping the replica star clip and brushing her hair as if Sofia was a small nuisance in her otherwise important routine.
"Rather well? Are you kidding? Amber just told me you were KISSING Hugo. What were you thinking? What gives you the right to go and DO something like that?" Scarlett seemed unphased, as if oblivious to why Sofia would possibly be unhappy at the events her copy had undertaken. Anxious to get some sort of response, Sofia unloaded. "That's MY body you're impersonating, now I'm going to have to figure out some excuse of why I wanted to do the things you've been up too."
At the mention of 'my body' her copy stiffened. Setting the brush down once more, she turned and scowled up at Sofia. "Your body. You know you've got some nerve getting mad at me. I've been doing everything you asked me to."
"I did NOT ask you to make out with Hugo on the beach underneath Leidleville castle."
Abruptly Scarlett rose, almost taking out Sofia's chin with her head as she stood tall and confidently in front of the upset princess. "You SAID to make everyone happy, didn't you? You SAID that you were ice dancing and horseback riding with Hugo yesterday while I was out getting ripped apart in a battle. Those sound like dates to me."
Sofia had to jump back a step to retain her personal space. An interesting idea, the invasion of one's own space with a copy of oneself. Paradoxes aside, Sofia felt a tinge of sympathy for the girl and the horror she'd had to endure at Sofia's behest. "But I didn't say that I wanted you to accept Hugo's advances."
"Then that's your fault, now isn't it Sofia. You need to give clearer instructions." Taken aback, Sofia leaned up against her dresser to process what the girl had said. She hadn't been clear on that point, and hadn't mentioned to Scarlett that whole conversation about Hugo never touching her again. The copy smiled, taking in Sofia's confusion as if an elixir of life, and returned to her seated position, smoothing out the knots in her hair.
After a minute Sofia collected herself, "But why Scarlett, if you're me then why would you let Hugo touch you like that?"
"Do you think I actually enjoyed it? You told me to keep everyone happy, and I did just what you said. You should be thanking me." Sofia scoffed, but her copy was serious, and became inflamed, "I've managed to do what you couldn't. I've assuaged your mother's fears from last night on the staircase, I've pacified Hugo's aching heart, I've found a way for Amber to honor Desmond so that she can come to terms with his passing, and I've even kept Cedric entertained."
"But HOW did you do it?"
That smile, that wicked little smile Sofia remembered from all those years ago flitted across the girl's face. It was gone in an instant, but it had definitely been there. "I just told everyone what they wanted to hear."
"Then you lied." Scarlett began humming while smoothing her hair down. "How could you lie to everyone? You really are a rotten copy, just like last time."
The girl sneered at her through the mirror's reflection. "I'm PERFECT. Think about it Sofia, aren't YOU lying to everyone? Aren't YOU the one keeping secrets? Telling people half truths and lies of omission?" Scarlett had abandoned the comb, advancing on Sofia against the cabinet. "Really my lies aren't any different from yours."
"That's NOT true! I'm trying to protect people, you… you…"
Scarlett advanced further, Sofia retreating toward the windowsill. "It IS true, only my lies are better because everyone ends up happy. When you lie everyone ends up miserable." Sofia bit her lip and stared at the floor. It was unequivocally true. "Oh Sofia, don't feel bad. You're doing amazing things in Friezenburg, and they need you. I can stay here, to keep everything on track."
"No."
Scarlett jumped back as Sofia hoisted her head up to meet the startled copy head on. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I'm not letting you mess with my family and friends anymore."
The copy started flailing. "It's not FAIR! I've done everything you wanted, TO THE LETTER! How can you just throw my existence away whenever you choose? Being melted HURTS!"
"STOP!" Both girls settled down before Sofia began again. "Just tell me everything that happened Scarlett. If you're really good then you won't leave anything out. Please, I need to know everything you've been doing."
The girl took a deep breath, then began, "Alright. I got dressed for the funeral, and went up to calm Cedric. Then I went—"
"WAIT. What did you say to him to calm him down, EXACTLY?"
Scarlett smiled, "I told him I, well you, had another incident like when you flung yourself off the balcony, and that Westin realized what was happening and ran to save us. I told Cedric I only came to my senses once my clothes were stripped off and he'd blasted the doors open."
"And did he… believe you?" She couldn't see how Cedric would accept such a ridiculous answer.
"Oh Sofia." Scarlett was giggling, twirling her hair in her hands, "Well it took a minute for him to wrap his brain around it, but I just nuzzled up real close and then he felt awful about the whole thing."
"You're unbelievable. You made him feel bad after what happened."
"Sofia just relax, he was happy in the end. After all, it's really easy to control Cedric, you've just got to give him tasks that distract his mind and make him happy."
The way she said control, like he was some sort of puppet, grated on her. "So you manipulated him. Just what did you do to make him feel better. I WANT the details this time."
The nonchalant copy continued. "'Manipulate' is such a harsh way to describe it. No, I just told him how much I cared about him and then I asked him to plan a wonderful evening for just the two of us when I got back from the funeral."
"He, didn't go with you?" Her confusion must have been evident but Scarlett just relaxed in her seat.
"Of course he didn't. Don't you remember what happened in Friezenburg? The last thing he wanted was a repeat of that disaster, so he spent the day happily planning our evening while I played your stand-in at Desmond's funeral."
"But what about the flowers? If Mr. Cedric didn't go, then Amber didn't get her flowers, which means Mr. Cedric wasn't fulfilling his duties, which means… OH NO! Scarlett how could you sabotage Mr. Cedric's work?!"
"It was his decision not to go Sofia."
"But YOU convinced him not to, didn't you?"
"He's an adult Sofia, he can make his own decisions." It was awful. Scarlett didn't care what damage had been done to Cedric's professional standing. Sofia was stomping mad as Scarlett continues her placating tone.
"It was better that way. If Cedric went then he'd be clinging to me, Rolland would have been annoyed, and I wouldn't have been able to convince Desmond's parents to formally accept Amber's inheritance of their kingdom."
"But Mr. Cedric…. He'll be so upset when he finds out what you've, I've been up to."
"He doesn't need to know. Any of it." Scarlett deadpanned.
"What exactly is 'it'. I have a right to know, as it's MY body you've been parading around in."
Scarlett practically growled. "I guess it is, in a way. Alright then, Hugo was miserable during the coach ride, and YOU DIDN'T SAY that you wanted me to reject him, so I made him feel better by snuggling up all throughout the ceremony. Then one thing led to another, and I ended up pressed against a rock on the shoreline with Hugo rubbing his hands over my backside and kissing my neck. I think he's into round bottomed girls."
Sofia shuttered. That was way more than kissing. Ugh. The thought of Hugo running his hands over the more private areas of her body made the princess dry heave in revulsion. Finally refocused on the copy, the girl was laughing at her. "Be realistic Sofia. What do you think Hugo really wants from you? It's not to write a dissertation on flying derby tactics after all. He's thinking marriage, and all the activities that go along with it."
"Alright enough. I'll find a way to fix this, somehow. What else happened?"
"Why whatever do you mean Sofia?" The copy was playing coy again, but she knew there was more. At least a flight to Old Caldoun, if nothing else. "I mean, how did you keep what happened a secret from Mr. Cedric, and how did you convince Hugo not to follow you around once you got back?"
"Oh that's easy Sofia. Really you overcomplicate things." The girl was twirling her hair, smiling, and seemed positively happy at her triumphant manipulation of those Sofia cared for. But it had been Sofia's mistake in not being clear with intentions. "Just like I kept Cedric busy, I kept Hugo busy too. I had him plan a tea date while I was flying around with Cedric, and Cedric was planning the next surprise while I had tea with Hugo. I'm supposed to meet Cedric by the swing in the garden wearing whatever is in that present, so I came here to change."
"AAGGHHH!" Sofia cried, "How could you think this is okay!" Scarlett froze. Slowly the girl turned, all seriousness for a brief moment.
"How could I not Sofia? I'm keeping everyone happy. Your family is delighted that your relationship with Hugo is blossoming, and Cedric keeps to his tower so he never needs to know." The girl strode up slowly, catching Sofia off-guard, "After all, Cedric's just protective of our friendship, right? He just needs us to pay attention to him, to let him know that someone cares even when we're gone, and I'm doing that, aren't I? If he's happy then what I'm doing when he's not around shouldn't matter, right Sofia?"
A wicked little laugh came out under her breath, the kind Cedric used to make when she was young, before the amulet incident. Sofia tensed, trying to take charge of the conversation. "And just what lie did you tell when you weren't able to perform magic?" The girl took a few steps back, seemingly wounded. "I know all about it. How you couldn't spellcast in Friezenburg. Why have you been lying to me about that?" Scarlett tossed her a quick glance in the mirror's reflection, but then turned to stare at her hands.
"I wanted to cast spells, and make potions, I just… can't. I'm just, a copy, after all."
The girl seemed genuinely upset, tingeing Sofia with regret she'd been so blunt. "Sorry."
Scarlett actually smiled in a natural way, with soft folds and bright eyes. Is that what Sofia looked like when she smiled earnestly? Was it really so easy to tell? "Thanks. Anyway, I just asked questions, and let Cedric impress me with magic. He wanted to do it." The girl turned back from the mirror to stare at Sofia earnestly. "Cedric wants to impress us with his magic, and he is so ah-mazing, it's easy to just let him, you know?" That was very true. Cedric was impressive, when not afraid of rapprochement he was borderline stunning. Suddenly the copy was against Sofia, clasping her hands, "Please let me stay here. I'm keeping everyone happy and this way you can save our Papa and everyone in Frizenburg. Please Sofia, you owe it to me."
"I don't think that's a good idea. I'm sorry, but you need to go Scarlett." Ripping her hands from the copy Sofia raised the wand as the girl blistered.
"Please reconsider Sofia, I thought I was doing what you wanted, WAIT!" With that Scarlett was melted once more. Heaving huge sighs of relief, Sofia collapsed onto the bed. Perhaps Scarlett wasn't really so bad after all, just performing what she thought Sofia wanted to a fault. The princess couldn't help but chuckle at all the misfortune she'd wrought on everyone that would now need explaining. That conversation with Hugo was going to be doubly unpleasant, and finding a way to let him know she really wasn't interested despite going back on her word in less than a day seemed impossible at present.
Sofia was ruminating on the best course of action when she caught sight of the present on the dressing table Scarlett had left behind. The wrapping was the deepest black imaginable and dancing across it was the very cosmos above. A purple ribbon of exquisite silk tied off the ends. Easily unfurled, they revealed an opulent deep blue dress. Straight lined and certainly not her typical style, it lacked the voluminous petticoat. A one-shouldered affair, it was made of a soft organza that drifted down over her curves and floated along the ground. Cedric had exquisite taste, even if it wasn't her style. It pulled a bit in several places, but the princess was finally able to wriggle the thing on.
Brushing out her hair and reclipping her star pin appropriately she was off to the gardens, to the place she'd found Cedric in a weeping heap some weeks before. Why would he want to meet there, of all places? It seemed an unhappy remembrance, how he'd sat there all evening imaging who knows what horrors. He'd practically screamed when she'd announced she was a woman, then went on about being alone forever, and then silent as the dead before the delirium had kicked in. Not exactly happy memories to reminisce on during an afternoon soiree with one's best friend.
She was out to the gardens undetected, but the sorcerer was nowhere to be seen. The swing was there, and the overgrowth mysteriously vanished. The metal fixtures were newly polished and wood freshly lacquered. The air was scented with fresh clippings, as if a team of gardeners that had overlooked the area for a generation suddenly rediscovered its existence. Sofia has little time to ponder the significance of this place in Cedric's mind's eye before long nimble fingers danced along her hips, swooping her into a tight embrace from behind. "There you are, my beautiful blueberry."
"Mr. Cedric! He he, that tickles." She managed to turn slightly, pressing her forehead into his cheek. How simple it was for him to invade this bubble of hers. There was no hesitation, and he seemed truly contented. It was hard to admit, but maybe her copy had been on to something. Cedric seemed worlds happier than he'd been recently, even though they'd been apart.
"Come sweetheart, I've been busy." Slow methodical motions had his hand drape down toward hers, taking it into his own and pulling her slightly to the swing.
"Mr. Cedric, this is really nice and all, but I'm a little uncomfortable and-"
"Shhh…. Just come to me Sofia." Disarming smile, and she was putty in his hands. He guided her to the swing and stood before her, his jutting hip banking against her own as her backside brushed up against the wooden plank suspended in the air by two ornately crafted metal chains.
Barely able to verbalize how nice it was to feel him stroking her arm gently, she soon realized he was actually more interested in the feel of the fabric than her in it. OF COURSE HE'S INTERESTED IN THE FABRIC AND NOT THE ARM screamed out inside her head. He broke her mental admonitions, "Do sit down, I daresay you'll enjoy it, though perhaps not as much as this morning." Oh that wonderful grin was on full display. This morning in his bed had been marvelous, nothing could top that. Heat rising in her cheeks, she slowly sat upon the bench. A sudden acute awareness of just how much seat she occupied made her suddenly self-conscious, and she began to lift off. A furrowed brow was returned for her efforts.
"What's the matter Sofia? Swings are a perfectly acceptable behavior for a perfect princess such as yourself, wouldn't you agree?"
Perfect princess? Where had she heard that before? "It's just that, well.." She began tugging on the dress to mask the slight uncomfortable tug in certain unflattering places. He seemed to notice, unfortunately, and began stroking the places where fabric had bunched inappropriately.
"It's beautiful on you, as I knew it would be."
"Oh I'm sorry! Thank you for the gift, it's really beautiful, it's just not exactly my normal style so, I guess I'm just not used to the way it hangs on me. Eh" That fake laugh came out once more, quite unintentionally, but he didn't seem to notice or care.
"It suits you far better than any other owner." That was weird. Very weird. Before she could inquire just who else would own the dress he snuck around behind her and gave her the slightest of pushes. The feeling of him pressing his hands on her backside was sinfully delightful, and so her mind wandered off, the train of thought completely lost.
Minutes passed in silence, the steady creek of metal hinges the only reminder of times passing. Leaves had begun to fall throughout the gardens, the colors turned to crimson waves and scattered about the grounds in the gentle breeze. A truly magical afternoon it was.
"Mr. Cedric?"
"Hmmmm…?" He seemed as lost in the act of pushing her as she was in receiving it, but why? "Why did you choose this activity? I'd think you'd want to cast some spells or brew some potions, not go riding on swings."
He'd stopped pushing her, and slowly the momentum died down. As it did so he inched closer to her, and those thin arms were once again wrapped around her from behind. "You stated that it was my choice what we did this afternoon, did you not? Something that would make my heart soar as it were."
Oops. She had no idea if that was accurate paraphrasing. Best to go with it. "Sure."
A long pointed nose was in her hair, "Well I've chosen to correct a horrible memory from my youth, and you dearest have done just that."
Turning to look him in the eyes was ill-timed, as he'd swooped in to kiss her neck. He ended up planting his lips on her exposed shoulder. A wave of prickles shot down her arms, eliciting a slight shiver throughout her body and a plastered smile on her face. "What memory Mr. Cedric?"
His grin faded, and a certain sadness crept up in its place. He was reminiscing on something awful that happened long ago, and regret gripped her, "I'm sorry. If it's too painful I understand."
"No, well I suppose it was painful, but to know that you're here with me now is a welcome salve, and see look, we've a happy memory here when once I only saw sorrow in this place."
He looked around and absentmindedly his hands wound their way into her hair. Who could have been swinging here that made him so upset? Wait…
"It was Rolland, wasn't it?" Cedric tensed, his hand in her hair gripping a bit too tight.
"It doesn't matter now Sofia." Grip loosened, he walked round her and the swing, positioning himself between her knees and bending over slowly, "All that matters is I'm the one this time. Yes, I am here with you, and I'm certainly not made to watch from afar and weep at my miserable existence."
He slowly sank down to his knees, resting his head upon her lap. Unable to stop herself those pesky hands of hers found their way into his hair, twisting her fingers gently into his bangs and letting the strands glide between her fingers. So Rolland had been here, playing with someone on the swing while Cedric was excluded, and it had made him feel awful inside.
How could she have been so silly? This must have been where Rolland crushed a young Cedric's poor heart, and considering that bit about the worst day of Cedric's life was when Rolland married perhaps it happened right here, by this swing.
"I'm so sorry Mr. Cedric. You must have felt so lonely." To that his eyes opened, and he turned upward toward the last rays of the evening sun shining down on them to face her.
"I've been hopelessly lonely all my life Sofia, I simply didn't understand it until what I thought was love was ripped away from me."
It was the most horribly depressing thing she'd heard. She buckled at the waist to cover him in kisses about the forehead and temples, ignoring how unflattering that position must look in this slightly ill fitted dress. Long arms were outstretched now, wrapping themselves around her. These events that shaped his young life were memories long before Sofia was even born, but still she ached to set them right, somehow.
"I wish I was older, I'd have been there for you no matter what."
"I know." One of her hands had taken to rubbing the space between his shoulder blades while trying to avoid the knobs of his spine. At some point she realized that there was no need to avoid them, and began rubbing over the bone, gently so as to provide maximal comfort. He wasn't avoiding her curvier bits, she shouldn't avoid his sharper edges.
A soft kiss was set on her cheek. He'd navigated through the twisted curls that had fallen forward, gravity's curse, and managed to reach her skin without poking out an eyeball. Quite a feat, considering the obstacles in his way.
"What was that for?"
"The gift you surprised me with this afternoon." That grin sprang back to life. "See here, it's lovely." One hand had retracted from stroking her thigh and reached down into his robe pockets, revealing the bottle of liquid snowflakes Westin had purchased from earlier.
Ugh. Westin had wasted no time in trying to ingratiate himself to the sorcerer once more. "Although what you thought I'd need this for is beyond me, as you know perfectly well I'm able to conjure snow without prepackaged assistance. BUT they are from you, and so I suppose that makes them special."
Heaving a great sigh, Sofia couldn't take credit for Westin's thoughtfulness. "What makes you think they're from me?"
A positively delighted stream of chuckles came from the sorcerer, "Trying to inject some mystery are you, my sweet little blueberry turnover? I'm more than a little touched you went to such effort though, as you snuck it behind my back while we were at the Charmacy." He pulled from his pocket a thin strip of parchment with words upon them. The penmanship was jagged, and when one really looked at it almost seemed to be Gwen's handwriting. It certainly wasn't Westin's, Sofia doubted very much he could write, or even read, having grown up a slave in a mineshaft.
Cedric brought his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, "To my beloved sorcerer, a gift for the remarkable morning we shared. May there be many more." He turned up toward her, positively beaming. "Now see here, my little sweet tart, whosoever could have written that, hmmm? Although you did throw me for a loop on the penmanship."
Sofia chuckled nervously, "Eh he. You know me."
"I do indeed, and that is why I found it odd. Nevertheless, it was a gift from you, and so I'll treasure it, as I treasure you."
"Oh Mr. Cedric, that's so incredibly sweet." A deep hug ensued, him twisting around to execute it appropriately, but then she shouldn't take credit for Westin's kind act, even though it felt so good to have him embrace her so.
"Wait, there is something I should say."
"If it's about tonight you're not getting any clues." He started snickering and bouncing rather strangely. He was so happy, and telling him Westin was the thoughtful one was sure to break the relative calm. Maybe she should take a page from Scarlett's playbook, just this once. Just to keep him happy. To keep up the pretense so he could remain in this blissful state she so rarely saw him enter. But was it truly sustainable? "If I but had a spell to stop time, this would be the moment I'd choose."
It drifted out of him so earnestly, a soft little note on the chilled fall breeze. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing, in a way. "Me too, but my legs are starting to go numb so maybe I should get up now."
She was pulled to her feet before she'd a chance to react. He was trying to remedy the situation, that much was certain, but then the lack of feeling in her legs from sitting on the hard plank for so long, coupled with the unexpected shove forward meant she had no control of her bearings, and crashed into him, knocking them both over. The bottle of snowflakes fell to the grass below and he floundered under her. Quick to roll off him, a bevy of giggles at the awkwardness of it all ensued, and once he realized she was going to be fine he joined her in laughter. Quite a sight they must have made, rolling around on the ground in the farthest reaches of the gardens.
Finally able to stand, Cedric helped pull her to her feet, then swooped down and stuck the vial of liquid snow back into his pants pocket.
"I suppose we should be getting back. Pity, I'd hoped to make it last longer. It's still a while until you're summoned to dinner."
She looked back at the swing, smiling. "Well, why don't you take a ride on it?"
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, it'll be fun."
"Those words are like a death knell to me Sofia." She directed him around and gently he sat upon the lacquered plank. She couldn't help but notice how much extra room he had on either side. He just sat there, motionless, for a minute or more, then deadpanned, "Oh yes, excited exclamations on how delightful this is. Indeed, I should never recover from all the fun I'm having whilst dangling here. Simply joyous. My imaginings had you upon the swing Sofia, not I."
"Just give it a chance. You're supposed to swing back and forth silly, then it'll be more fun." He simply glared forward toward her coaxing motions. "Go for it! Swing your legs out. You can do it Mr. Cedric!" He did not, in fact, appreciate the one-woman cheering section. A few audible grumbles, and he began shaking his legs awkwardly, then overtly pouted.
"Of all the infernal ideas. A grown man on a swing, whatever processed you that I might find this fun Sofia?"
"Have you really never ridden a swing before Mr. Cedric?"
"Well I…" The poor man looked down at his loafers. "Not precisely. It's more of a woman's pastime, and I, kept well to my studies. A family reputation to uphold and all that, yes much more important things to learn than how to ride on one of these commoner's contraptions…" he looked off to the side, choking back some serious emotions, "it's not like I didn't have a friend in the world to teach me, after all."
She flung her arms forward, wrapping her hands about him and burying her face into his hair. He'd never had a friend before her, so who would have taught him? With his father constantly being the best sorcerer in all the lands, his mother off healing people, and his antagonistic sister making life miserable there really wasn't anyone he had called friend. The logical extension that he'd never experienced the joy of a simple swing set, and she decided then to set it right.
"It's not so hard. You're so ah-mazing, I know you can do it!"
"Oh this is preposterous, I'll not do it." He began to stand, but she knew he was just embarrassed at not knowing something that seemed so simple.
"It's okay, here, let me help you." Positioning herself behind him, she began to push. "Now kick your legs out, then backward." It resulted in an odd gyrating motion, counteracting her pushes. He finally put a foot down, halting the motion.
"Sofia this is pointless. I've never been ascribed the label of coordinated, and at my age I'm not about to suddenly learn."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Here, I'll help."
She came around and backed up to him. Was she really going to do this? She might just squish him into a pancake. She froze about an inch from his lap. "Uh, is it okay if I sit down Mr. Cedric? I don't want to hurt you."
There was silence, then a pair of hands on her waist. "A-a-a-absol… ab…. OOOOH confound it all! YES!" His hands guided her down a bit tougher than she intended, but there she was, in his lap. He did shift around a bit, and she was worried for him, but perhaps it was just better to get on with the lesson. Prying his hands off her waist she affixed them to the chains, and held hers around his soft fingers to keep them in position.
"See, you just kick out, and then pull back." The swing began to groan, back and forth ever so slowly.
"That's it."
He wasn't speaking, then the legs were working again. A very strange gyration occurred and Sofia slid off of him, flopping on the ground unceremoniously. Cedric immediately tried to stop the swing with his foot, but the momentum carried him forward, and he toppled over her.
"SOFIA! Sweetheart are you okay? Oh oh… Merlin's mushrooms."
"Ouch. I'm fine, really." He'd pulled her up and was inspecting every inch of her, obviously worried. But really he was so light he couldn't do any real damage to a sturdy girl like her. "It's OKAY. Seriously. So it didn't work out, that's okay. We can just try again."
"I'm a lost cause in this regard Sofia. All your well-intentioned teaching can't cure this creature's clumsiness."
"Oh, don't say that. Quitting never got anyone anywhere, now did it?"
"I suppose not."
She pushed him gently backward, and again he flopped onto the swing. This time, however, she tried a different approach. Instead of sitting on him as if he was a chair, worrying about crushing his poor lap, and relinquishing control of her center of gravity, Sofia opted for the reverse approach. She pulled up her skirt to her knees and Cedric froze. Carefully she positioned a knee alongside his hip on the swing, and the other across the other side, he was so skinny she was able to easily navigate it. Letting the bunches of her dress fall down onto his lap she started building momentum while hovering her body above him, directly facing the man. "See, you just rock back and forth. Try it."
He was just staring forward at her chest while she did all the work of making the swing go, and Sofia realized that because she was slightly hunched over her Amulet was smacking lightly into her chest, producing a large noise that sounded much worse than it really was. "Don't worry, I'm okay. Now you've got to start trying." He took a deep gulp of air and closed his eyes, swinging his legs out as commanded. After a while he got the rhythm. Now that he was figuring out how to move she loosened one hand's grip on the chain, letting her fingers gently stroke along his face to coax his eyes open. He looked up at her with the strangest expression. Somewhere between wonder and adoration. It was a beautiful sight to behold, his utter euphoria at having mastered a new skill. Maybe Scarlett had a point about it all.
"See, I knew you could do it."
Back and forth in near silence, this was so much preferred over simply being pushed. He was smiling contentedly, and as time wore on the blood drained from her legs, making her sink into his lap. Lulled into tranquility, as swings tend to do, she didn't realize how low her center of gravity was sinking until she was straddling him below. But that was strange, there was something hard bunched up in his pocket. The vial of liquid snowflakes in his pocket, no doubt.
But it did feel nice. Very nice. At the apex of each swing she let herself sink just a bit lower, until there was nowhere left to go, and set her head upon his shoulder, the free hand found its way around his back to keep from bumping into him and disrupting the rhythm. She'd forgotten about most things that seemed important mere minutes prior, and was just enjoying the centrifugal force pressing her down into regions she had no business being happy about, when little "mmmmms" started coming out of him. There was a pattern, he'd make the cute little sound each time the swing reversed direction.
"What are you thinking about Mr. Cedric?"
"I suppose I am… imagining.. d-d-devouring a b-b-beautiful… blueberry pie for supper." He whispered. It was almost suppertime, and that sounded extra tasty. A big full plate of beautiful fruits, and maybe a dollop of whipped cream and pie for desert. Wow, now she was getting hungry. She'd eaten in Friezenburg at the gathering, but that was nothing compared to a palace spread.
"Ooh, that sounds so nice. I want that for dinner too."
Suddenly and without warning Cedric spasmed upward, lifting them both off the swing's bench. Her relaxed grip on only one chain wasn't enough to stop the motion, as the swing continued onward until it caught under his knees. He sounded in pain as a small cry came out and managed to grip her sides, but they both went tumbling backward onto the grass below, Cedric's back taking the brunt of the impact from them both. He seemed a bit delirious and Sofia was wracked with worry that she'd actually hurt him.
"Mr. Cedric what happened? Are you okay? OOWWww…"
The swing had come back around and smacked her in the head, knocking her forward. Everything was a blur of hands and purple fabric for quite a while. The world refocused with calming white healing energy streaming down onto her head now cradled in his arm. Relief washed over him as her eyes opened. He tossed his wand to the side and buried her in a tight embrace.
"Sofia! Speak to me! Say something, anything! Oh, oh I knew this was a terrible idea. Why, oh WHY didn't I listen to myself."
A hand to the back of her head revealed no blood. She'd be okay. "Mr. Cedric I'm fine, but what happened? You were doing so well with the swinging."
The frightened paleness he had instantly flushed as the kneeling man looked down toward his lap. "Well that is, I daresay I should probably clean this up."
His whole lap was wet. OH NO! The vial of snowflakes in his pocket must have cracked under her weight! Sofia did a slight wiggle, and some of the potion had gotten on her leg as well.
"Mr. Cedric I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to set all my weight on it! It's just—" He set two fingers against her lips, and smiled gently.
"Never you mind, but I can't walk back into the castle like this, and it's getting late. Perhaps you'd better be off to dinner. I can stay and… clean this up."
"No please I can help! Really!" She was looking around for something to wipe up the mess when she caught Cedric frozen as if he was having another aneurysm. "What? It's my fault this happened after all, I should help you."
Jolted out of the trance he started shaking his head wildly, "No NO! That isn't necessary. No, ahem. NO."
"But—"
"Sofia I'd rather not, not, n-n-not have any of t-t-this, t-t-touch you. Please."
What? "But Mr. Cedric, there's already some on my leg."
She was knocked over, much gentler than falling off the swing but still lightning fast, and a leg lifted up into the air while Cedric's fingers were shoving reams of organza up around her waist to expose her more private regions. Why was he so worried? Was there something dangerous in that potion? Could it burn her? Scar her? There was some vigorous rubbing and while she couldn't see what was going on it was still somewhat awkward to be exposed in such a way.
"EEP! What are you doing Mr. Cedric?"
"I've got to make sure it isn't, oh oh. Poseidon's pumpkins!"
She could hear him freaking out under all that fabric, and grew very worried. The chances that potion had injured her were growing by the second. "Am I going to be okay Mr. Cedric?"
The sound of gravel crunching underfoot made Cedric freeze. His head and arms were completely inside her skirt while the rest of his body stuck out for all to see.
"Uh, what are you doing to my sister Cedric?"