"Oh, I still remember that day well…" King Roland mumbled, holding his wife close to him as he reminisced "It was that sunny day when I first saw her with my own two eyes. What I thought would be a usual day of getting my shoes made turned out to be such a wonderful day..."
"Mhmm… and it just happened then" Miranda smiled, holding his arm close to her "And we got married a year later"
"Was it actually a year?" he turned to his wife with a confused look on his face
"Rollie, how could you forget that!?"
"I'm just playing hehe.." Roland jested with the widest grin on his face
~0~
It was already afternoon outside in Enchancia – and a rather passive afternoon to be exact. Realizing he was all along on the pavement, Cedric just casually walked one step at a time while counting the tiles that he passes by. Something was on his mind, and he was thinking about it
He just came back from a visit to his parents in Mystic Meadows, and of course, the first thing they pointed out was how he came "alone". For sure, that made him uneasy knowing Joceline and himself called it quits just a few days before
"Oof, it is what it is" the Sorcerer only shrugged, finally making a vision of the castle from afar. In his three decades and a half years of existence, the man got smooth as butter game when it comes to women. He could talk his way into their hearts
But of course, it's a double-edged sword. For what seems to be the thrill of the abundance comes the curse of having no one at the end of the day. And this is something he knew well, and doesn't seem to mind that much
He was thinking too much that he didn't notice he finally reached the gates of the castle. Upon entering, he saw a couple of workers putting some decorations from here and there. Sure was a busy day in Enchancia, Cedric scratched his head, he didn't know there was gonna be a party or an event tonight
"Okay Miss Valentine, I'll see you later tonight!" a certain cheery voice was heard from behind as Cedric took a step back and accidentally stumbled upon a person unintentionally
He then turned to apologize, and the woman did the same
"My bad, I wasn't lookin" he uttered
The lady smiled and fixed her blouse "It's okay, you didn't do it on purpose…" as she raised her eyes up to him, she was stunned
"M-Mister Cedric?"
Cedric grew a confused look on his face upon hearing this "Do I know you?" she seemed to have known him. Which doesn't make sense because there is no way a pretty lady like her could recognize him and know his name and he doesn't know her.
"It's me!" her eyes lit up, revealing more of her blue eyes "I came back from the academy"
He squinted his eyes, hoping to make sense of who she really was. Perhaps it would occur to him that he'd remember a certain memory or a girl he used to talk to.
Bright blue eyes, wavy auburn hair and a rather tall frame. Cedric did his best to remember… but to no avail.
"Sorry, doesn't ring any bells, friend" was all he could say
The woman then sighed and pulled out something from her chest. It was a certain amulet that had a pink glow on it
Upon seeing it, it finally came to him
"Wait… is that.."
In that moment, a certain series of memories came to him like a flashback… and a certain girl who wielded that amulet throughout. He knew it well, because he had spent most of his time back then trying to steal it from the girl
"From the girl…" Cedric muttered as he stared more of her face.
.
.
.
"Sofia!?"
His eyes widened when it finally rang a bell. He couldn't believe it. She looked nothing like she did before
Sofia only nodded with a smirk on her lips "How could you forget about me, Mister Cedric?"
"You look very different now… Merlyn's Mushrooms.."
"Well yeah. The last time we spoke to each other was like… ten years ago."
Hearing this, Cedric finally made sense of everything. Ever since that day she saved the realm, they haven't been that close anymore and drifted apart fully. Part of this was Sofia getting into the academy and such, plus her protector duties… and him being more sociable unlike his previous introverted self
Still, it was nice to see her again
"You're a woman now… who would've expected.."
"You expected me to be a little girl forever?"
"Yeah actually.. ha-ha!"
"I don't know what to make of that, Mister Cedric" Sofia uttered in a quite offended tone as she looked ahead. There was an awkward silence between them for a couple of seconds before Sofia finally broke the ice
"So how have you been?" she asked him
"Pretty good. Not the good-for-nothing doofus I was ten years ago though"
"That's wonderful" she chimed, and suddenly, she remembered something
"There's gonna be a party later tonight. I want you to come, Mister Cedric."
He hesitated for a second, he and Sofia technically aren't "friends" anymore. So what business would he have going to party when no one in cahoots with
But then yet again, maybe that wasn't the case
"Alright, I'll be there"
"Thanks" she smiled at him. When suddenly, a certain man came up to them and interrupted their conversation
"Sofia." the young princess turned to him and Cedric did the same. He instantly knew this guy was some big shot just from his threads alone. Guy looks like your stereotypical prince in every fairy tale story
"Prince Hugo, nice of you to come" Sofia did a respectful curtsy and he did a nod of honor himself
"Please… just call me Hugo, Sofia. Especially for you" his tone had a bit of intimacy in them which Sofia didn't seem to notice. Cedric however, was holding back his chuckle with how corny it was
"Can I speak with her for a moment" he then turned to the Sorcerer just watching them both. Cedric looked at Sofia and he winked at her
"Sure, I have to go now anyways" he responded as he raised his arm and gently tapped Sofia's shoulder "See you tonight, Princess" he walked away
Sofia smiled at him and watched him leave
"I was actually planning on surprising you for tonight, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to see you immediately" Prince Hugo spoke in a rather soft and more intimate manner
"Speak to me? Why?"
"Because I… I wanna see you" he looked into her eyes and spoke "There's something I have to tell you too.."
Clueless, Sofia did not know what to answer or how to feel with this
"Well, why can't you just tell me right now?" she said
"It's important.. and special" Prince Hugo bickered as he put on a smile. He then walked to the other direction "I can't wait for tonight, I'm sure you'd look so breathtakingly beautiful"
Sofia's naivety made it impossible for her to take a hint of his advances. Prince Hugo was one of her close friends. She still remembers when she helped him prove himself to his father many years ago.
Whatever he has to say to her must be really private and important then
"Sofia, can you add the finishing touches here please!"
She heard her sister call out for her and she smiled in response "be right there, Amber!"
Her graduation party tonight for sure is gonna loaded and full of guests. All her friends are gonna come, even the trolls and her friends from mystic isles. Thinking about it made her excited and what else could ruin such a perfect night.
x X x
Sofia took in a deep breath with how perfect everything is going. The decorations were set, the chandeliers were shining and the colors went well with what she loved
The guests joined in each second and it was getting more and more lively. Would she be able to handle the pressure of being seen by everyone? But she deserves it for sure. All those years in the academy are finally over. She deserves a lil bit of recognition and celebration
"May I be excused for a little while?" she turned to her family who was getting their makeup and outfits ready for their grand entrance
"Sure Honey, but where are you going?" her mother asked
"Just a bit of fresh air. I kinda need it"
Queen Miranda and King Roland looked at each other with the same thing in mind and smiled
"Alright, but don't take too long" Queen Miranda uttered
"You don't wanna be late for the Royal Introduction" Princess Amber added
"And the food too!" her brother James added on the last second
Sofia nodded and smiled before making her way to the balcony. Upon reaching there, she got a nice view of the stars above. They were as beautiful as ever
And now that she's far away from the others, Sofia took a deep breath and exhaled. Truth be told, she was actually pressured on how tonight would gonna be. She hasn't felt this way before since her 18th birthday just two years ago where it was if not more as grand as this one
But either ways – She was Sofia the First. There's nothing she could not do. If she did it before, she could do it again. Surely, it wouldn't be that difficult to impress the guests…
"right?"
"You have a look on your face that looks like a duck looking for her missing ducklings who were just looking for some pond leaves to use as a cute hat"
Suddenly, Sofia turned to a corner where that sudden remark was coming from. It was Cedric who wore a rather traditional suit with some baggy pants
"You were here the whole time?" she asked him as he stood up from the ledge he was sitting on and approached her
"Yeah, you looked so sentimental so I just watched you from a corner"
Hearing that kinda creeped Sofia out, but it was Cedric so there's probably nothing behind it
But it didn't take long before she felt something weird coming from him. And when she finally turned to him, he was just standing there and staring at him like she was a piece of prize or something
"What's wrong?" she asked, clearly creeped out from her face this time
"I just noticed how attractive you turned out to be, Sofia" he answered without any hint of hesitation
"I see… thanks" she instinctively brushes her hair to the side upon hearing that
"No wonder that prince charming from earlier was all googly-eyes over you"
Sofia grimaced and looked at him "You mean Hugo?"
"That was his name?" he bickered
Her eyebrows furrowed in response as she takes a step away from him "Cedric, Hugo is my friend. Don't you ever say something like that ever again."
"Oh… just a friend huh.." Cedric snarkyly smirked as he then notices a couple of young men making their way to the party from below "Speaking of friend… look who it is" he pointed to them and Sofia followed suit.
"One of them is Hugo right. Boy sure dressed the part for tonight eh?" his tone was even more snarky this time
Sofia sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll tell you this for the last time, Cedric. Me and Hugo are just friends. I don't know what you are implying at.. but we are just friends"
Somehow, Cedric wasn't convinced "To you maybe?"
Sofia raised her eyebrow "And what do you mean by that?"
Cedric settled down and held the ledge with both of his hands "Look, what I'm saying is a man and a woman cannot be friends. That's just impossible"
"That's not true. I had lots of friends with a couple of boys back then" Sofia hissed with both of her hands rested on her waist
"Yeah, you guys were like eight back then. But now you're like… nineteen
"Twenty-one!"
"Whatever." Cedric reasoned out "I'm just saying it's impossible to form a mere friendship with someone from the opposite gender when you reach adulthood."
"And why is that?"
"Because the sex gets in the way." Cedric responded without any hint of deception and hesitance
.
.
.
"W-What are you talking about.." Flustered, Sofia got too riled up upon hearing this. She knew what the word meant but she was still to innocent to fully know the concept of it
"Oh come on, Sofia. You're already twenty and you act like you haven't kissed someone before"
"Twenty-one!" Sofia clarified yet again as she looks away with a visible pink hue on her cheeks "And I haven't done that either.."
Surprised, Cedric turned to her "You're kidding?" a chuckle came out of him before finally getting his point across "For real?"
"And why is that hard to believe?"
"Because you're a very attractive young woman who has a body that many men would go wars for. It's a bit unrealistic that you haven't had any action even once." Cedric carefully explained
"Them princes in your academy probably got terrible game or something" he added which was the finishing touch. When he looked back at Sofia, the look on her face looked like she was absolutely disgusted was he felt like a filthy scum that he was
"I can't believe this you're saying these things to me right now, Cedric."
"I'm just saying a lot of guys would go crazy for a lady like you, Sofia" his facial expressions got serious there, and Sofia felt flattered for a split-second
"And that includes that Hugo guy… and all them other princes that are gonna attend your graduation party tonight" he added
Every word that comes out of his mouth just makes her more and more mad at this point. And so, she finally decided to put a stop to it
"Cedric. I know we haven't been in touch for a very long time, and I admit that I was too busy for visit you during the holidays… but that is not an excuse to speak the way you did to me just now."
"Like what… realistic?"
"That is not realistic, nothing of that is realistic!"
"So you think them boys don't think about you at night with their sexual fantasies?"
"That's it. I'm out." Sofia finally had enough and made her way back to the party. But before finally leaving, she stopped for a second to get something off her chest
"You do not know my friends, Cedric. So don't you go saying assumptions of them ever again." she hissed at him "And that invitation I gave you earlier. I take it back. Goodbye, Mister Cedric"
And just like that, the Sorcerer was left all alone in the balcony watching the princess he thought could never do any wrong be mad at him. He hasn't seen her mad like that since he tried to steal her amulet many years ago
Did he say something wrong and offensive, because for the record, he was just being realistic. As he thought of this, he scratched his head and just stared at the stars up above
And that was when he realized he pretty much fucked up eating a nice dinner tonight from the party
But it didn't matter to him that much. And so, Cedric just shrugged and decided to let it pass. Such shame that his reunion with Sofia turned out into a tragedy, but he's not losing any sleep over it
But realizing that he's pretty much persona-non-grata back to the party and he couldn't return back inside, it came to him that the way back down would be climbing the tall balcony walls again like before. It was easy climbing up, but going back down is a different story
And seeing how far it was to the ground, now he finally regret his actions from earlier.
x X x
That night, Cedric found himself still awake despite the lateness that time has came to be. Part of it was his hunger getting the best of him all because he had to open his mouth about a certain princess
There was no way he was even gonna get a blink of sleep at this point, and so Cedric decided to just stay up for now and read some books to pass time.
Suddenly, a couple of knocks was heard from downstairs and it alarmed Cedric. Who would even want to come here at this hour?
Regardless, he knew he had to oblige and answer whoever it was. As the Royal Sorcerer that is. Probably just Amber asking for an instant makeup spell or something.. or James with a automatic bulking up potion
But when he finally opened the door, the person he least expected was what came before him
"Hey again.." her eyes were guilt-ridden that it also made him feel guilty for something he didn't do, or something he's about to do
"I knew it" Cedric closed his eyes and prepared his cheek "I found it strange that you forgot your slap so feel free"
"What?"
He opened his eyes upon looking like a fool at that moment "You don't want to slap me?"
"Of course not you dummy!" the few giggles from her immediately alleviated her tense mood. Cedric succeeded on doing that
"I wanna apologize" she admitted in a coy way, but more confident this time "I was too harsh on you earlier, Mister Cedric"
The lady looks away with a pout on her lips. Cedric immediately caught on to this as he closed the door and walked closer to her "Did something happen?"
"I can't stop thinking about what you said earlier..." she looked at him with a serious expression on her face "And I thought you were wrong about it but-"
Cedric then cut in "I am wrong about a lot of things, Sofia… so this is new to me" he scratched his head in addition
Another series of giggles yet again broke her rather sulky mood. She never could be on her serious side around Cedric. She then playfully punched him on his shoulder
"Can I come in?" her voice shivered as she looked up to him "There's something I wanna talk about"
"I don't know… you don't wanna go in there at this moment."
"Really?" Sofia rolls her eyes and rested her hands on her hips "I've cleaned your workshop everyday for the last decade. There's nothing in there that you do that can even surprise me, Mister Cedric"
"How about a walk? Right now?"
"A walk? Isn't it midnight?"
"Yeah, well you've got me so you got nothing to worry about" Cedric proudly uttered like he was some kind of an authoritative figure
"I don't know…" Sofia then covered her body and takes a step back "With all those things you've said earlier… I'd be wary around you too.."
The Sorcerer chuckled and finally closed his door
"Let's just go, Sofia"
And so, the two went on their walk throughout Dunwiddie. They managed to catch up about their lives and such. Passing by houses and houses, Somehow, Sofia was having a good time despite the cold weather from the midnight
"I have to thank you though"
"Thank me for what?" he asked curiously
"Earlier, I was scared of how the party is gonna be. I mean… lots and lots of people were attending and I didn't know how to act or when to act or what to act…" she waved her hands over and over for emphasis "But… after that incident with you, I got out of my senses about what you said to me that I totally forgot about the party"
"Well, isn't that nice?" he commented
Silence followed after that with only their footsteps was heard from the ground
"You wanna talk to me about something?" he turned to Sofia who was admiring the different colors of each houses at night
"Yeah… it is about something you told me earlier" she looked at him with a rather uneasy feel "Do you really think men and women can't be friends?"
"Of course they can't" he said "Because then it would just be pretend especially when one person is attracted to the other"
"I mean… we were friends back then"
"Yeah, but you were a little girl then. And I'm not attracted to little girls"
"Well what if the man isn't attracted to the woman?" Sofia asked
"Doesn't matter, he'd want to fuck her regardless"
Sofia grimaced upon hearing that specific word "Do you have to use that word around me, Mister Cedric? I don't like profanity, you know"
Hearing this made him smirk "innocent as always.."
"What was that?"
"nothing." Cedric uttered "Like I said, a man and a woman who thinks one or the other is attractive definitely cannot be friends"
"Well… too bad we can't be friends" Sofia commented in a rather confident tone
"Yeah.. that sucks." Cedric chimed in "you know, I'm really no different than your so-called-friends who just happened to be male right? Especially that Hugo guy"
"Of course not. They do not see me in that light" suddenly, Sofia noticed something and her eyes widened
"Prince Hugo! I forgot!" she exclaimed in a dramatic fashion "This is all your fault, Mister Cedric. I completely forgot I was supposed to meet with him tonight and he's got something to tell me"
"Something important" she added as she tilted her to the side
"Hah, probably gonna ask you out or to court you or something"
"What? he wouldn't do that. He's just my friend"
"You see this naivety is what's gonna put you in a situation in the future, Sofia" Cedric then finished his corn cub as he turned to her "What will you do then if he asked you out earlier, how would you respond?"
"Well…I-I.." the princess was stunned in thoughts "I don't know, I haven't thought about him that way"
"So you're gonna reject him right there?"
"No I won't! That's gonna hurt his feelings"
"It's called being a grown up, Sofia. You can't compromise yourself considering others' feelings first" Cedric explained broadly "sometimes, you need to put some boundary between people so they won't get the wrong idea
"I guess you're right…" Sofia counted her steps by then and listened to the sounds of the rhythm of their footsteps. Cedric immediately noticed the melancholy that was in her and decided to lift up her spirits yet again
"Too bad though, if you were a bit mature, I'd definitely be first in line to court you"
Hearing this surprised Sofia as she takes a step back away "Where did that come from?"
"I'm just saying you would've been such a perfect lady if you weren't so frickin naïve and childish"
Offended, Sofia furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance "Excuse me, I am mature. I am responsible. I act my age and I am straightforward with people"
Cedric then playfully chuckled "hah, maybe in another decade or so"
She gave her a side-eye of sass "Keep laughing all you want, but I know things about you too, Mister Cedric."
"hmmm.. like what?"
She looked at her straight in the eye with a serious face "How you treat women as mere objects and you just date to have fun. You've never had a decent relationship and thinks love is just a fun game."
"If that is what being a grown-up is all about then I'd rather be myself, thank you~" she sarcastically uttered in a sassy way
"Maybe it's God's way of saying that none of those girls were right for me. Maybe, you and I talking again like this side-by-side after all these years is him trying to say we're meant for each other" Cedric tried his game with Sofia with his ever so smooth delivery and charisma "Have you ever thought about the possibility, my dear princess?"
Sofia however just stood there and watched him with a horrified look on her face. It was like she just saw something out of some horror story
"I'll say this once and I'll say it last. Never ever am I ever gonna fall in love with you, Mister Cedric."
"hmmm worth a shot" Cedric shrugged in response "Is that really how you feel though?"
"Of course it is, why would I lie?" she responded in a rather cold and straight forward manner
"Then you just succeeded" he turned to her with a rather proud look on his face "Somehow, you just went up a step to adulthood, Sofia"
"What do you mean?"
"You rejected me right there in a straightforward manner. Something you said you're not used to do" he explained "Just keep the same energy to any men that would come up to you and surely you'd be fine, my friend"
"It's different though…"
"How is it different?" Cedric leaned in closer, and Sofia just looked away
As she said this, Sofia realizes something from what Cedric said "And I'm sure you just called me your friend just now so that means you're also one step closer into seeing me as a respectable person and not someone you wanna sleep with"
"It's not like that.." he quickly bit back
"How is it not like that?" Sofia was just as fast to confront him about it, doing exactly what he just did to her by leaning close to see his reaction
Cedric just looked away and sighed "Fine… you win"
"I always do~" Sofia felt a feeling of triumph hearing that
After that, it was a rather silent walk on the way back to the castle. And when they finally reached home and was about to part ways…
"I guess I'll see you soon, Mister Cedric." Sofia reached out her hand for him to shake "Thank you for the talk"
Cedric chuckled, and instead of giving a proper handshake, he gave her a rather lousy high five
"Maybe we can make this into a bet."
Her eyebrows raised in curiosity "A bet?"
Cedric nodded "I bet I can break you out of your shell soon enough and you'd be a more adult like mature woman
Sofia immediately caught on what he was trying to point out and immediately jumped in "And I bet that I can prove you wrong and you'd see that a man and a woman can be friends without intimacy involved"
"Pretty much.." Cedric uttered. This time, he was the one who reaches out his hand for a handshake "Deal?"
Sofia smiled and shook his hand "Deal."
And thus concluded the reunion of a complicated relationship between the two, as Cedric watched Sofia wave at him while walking the other direction to the castle. He pondered on, wondering how their lives would change from now on.
But the best thing about the future is no one knows what lies ahead.
~0~
"At first, I wasn't too sure if our kids would get along… I mean, we did come from a different background and the surroundings and all"
"But we did make it work, right, Rollie?" Miranda turned to her husband and smiled
"And the rest is history."