"I can't believe you dragged me into this shit again, Sofia!"
Unsatisfied, Cedric shivered against the cold standing in front of the castle gates in the middle of the rain. The girl with him was currently busy trying to cut the wires of the locks of the gate. It was already past midnight and surely everyone would be asleep by now
Everyone except a certain man and his sixteen year old companion who just happens to be the youngest princess of Enchancia and the protector of Ever Realm
"It'll be more comfortable when you finally enter your thirties… they said. You'd get to relax and take it easy… they said" he muttered under his breath in an awfully sarcastic way
"Relax Moron, it's not like they'd find us sneaking in anyways. We'll just make your way to the tower and whatnot" The boyish princess smirked in an awfully rambunctious way that is so unlike her status as the symbol of grace of this kingdom
Unsettled, Cedric kicked a rock from the ground that it hit a tree from afar. This would take a while for sure. "I told you, stop dragging me into this mess"
"I needed help. Could your guilt ever handle it if something were to ever happen to me?"
"You're like strong as hell anyways… who would wanna mess with you?"
A clung sound from the gate made Sofia smile as she turned to him "Whatever Homie, let's just go in before a guard sees us" Sofia enters first which Cedric followed suit
Luckily for them, the rain was pretty thick that it hid their presence from the guards up ahead. And the garden where Cedric's tower rests is just around the corner. When they finally reached there, Cedric immediately took off his drenched clothes and went to his room where a small fireplace was at
"Hey man, you got some extra shirt that I could wear for the meantime? I'm shivering and drenched out here" the tomboy behind him uttered which Cedric can't just abandon "And some trunks while we're at it"
"Knock yourself out" Cedric stood up and opened the closet as he walks out of the room "What do you want to eat?"
"Some bread will do. I'm starving" Her voice echoed from inside his room
Cedric hurried to the kitchen and prepared some eggs for them to eat. When it was finally cooked, he picked his wand from the corner and did a spell that toasted a whole loaf of bread from the plate.
"Smells good"
"Just shut up and eat and head back to your room"
Sofia sat on the table with Cedric across. After they did their short silence of grace, the tomboy didn't hesitate to munch all of the food that was presented on the table. Cedric scoffed, not even surprised of this sight at all… it was like a daily occurrence for him at this point
And she's supposed to be the princess of Enchancia. With such table manners, it is most definitely difficult to believe
"Damn Bud, you're chasing the dragon or something?" Cedric jested which did nothing to gain her attention "Slow down a bit"
"I spent the whole day doing some duties, cut me some slack, Asshole" her mouth was still jammed saying this
"You kiss your Mother with that mouth?" his eye twitched upon hearing this
"Fuck you" she said without hesitation
Cedric chuckled in response. He took another glance at Sofia and he couldn't believe this was the same girl from back then who used to come to the workshop for some magic lessons or just to ask for something.
Now, she's turned into this laddish girl who has a macho personality for some reason. Her demeanor doesn't show not even a hint of gracefulness or poise and she always speaks her mind without any hint of withdrawal. To put it simply, Sofia's got a foul mouth… and a rather rugged fashion sense
And a short boycut.
.
.
.
"Hey.. can I ask you for something though"
Cedric was taken out of nowhere hearing this. As he turned to her, she was acting timid for some reason
"What's up?"
"You know what's coming up in the next few days right?"
"I don't really know. I haven't noticed." Cedric looks up trying to remember
"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, YOU DIPSHIT!"
She yelled so loud that bits of food from her mouth came flying to his face. Grimacing, the man wiped them from his cheeks
"I remember. I was just playing around" He frowned
"You're turning seventeen right?"
Sofia nodded, lifting her leg unto the chair and leaning her elbow unto it in a masculine manner "My sister's been pretty annoying about how I'm turning at the age. She said that this year is a very important year of my life and I need to look my very best."
"Sounds interesting.." Cedric took a sip out of his hot chocolate
"She wants to look feminine and all on my birthday. Which includes me growing out my hair…" A cringe expression was visible from her face "It's been like four years I think since I last wore a dress… and what's wrong with my hair?"
"Eh, it looks pretty cool" Cedric remarked
"Exactly. Why can't I just celebrate my birthday looking like this?" Sofia stood up and twirled "It worked last year!"
"You're at that age… and Amber probably wants you to look presentable to any suitor that's attending. Which means… you being feminine and all"
Sofia almost spits her drink on his face. Cedric already dodged with his head in reflex. Her laughter soon followed
"I know you did not just put me in the same sentence with being feminine!" she uttered while letting out a series of merriment
"Why not… even raccoons could look beautiful in Fall"
Offended, Sofia's eyebrow raises as she started cracking her knuckles "oh yeah… what do you mean by that?"
Cedric didn't back down "I'm saying even a girl as ugly as you can look presentable on any given night with given effort."
"Wanna settle this now, tough guy?" Sofia glared at him and cracked her knuckles louder this time. The tension in that room was so intense you could cut it with a knife
"That's not a very nice way of asking someone for a favor" Cedric didn't want the smoke. The last time, he was beaten so bad he had to use a spell to heal himself from the injuries. He wasn't kidding when he said Sofia is really really strong
"Fine…" Sofia sat back down "Basically, I want you to make a potion that will make my hair grow long for my birthday"
"That sounds fairly easy, Sofia. I can do that in my sleep"
Sofia responded with a series of giggles which Cedric found suspicious
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing!" the tomboy wiped a tear from her eye "It's just… sometimes I forget that you're actually a Royal Sorcerer"
"Funny knowing how you used to refer to me as the best Sorcerer back in the day" He whispered under his breath but still audible from the other end
There was no response coming from Sofia and a round of silence soon followed. It sure was a rare occurrence, the mood being awkward between the raunchy friends.
After a few moments, Sofia finally stood up
"I gotta dip, Bro. Nighty night." She then excused herself and went to the door of the workshop "I'll return your clothes tomorrow"
"Wash it first. I don't want your sweat all over it when I get it back"
"I'll wear it for a week straight so you can smell my funk for sure." For some, her jokes can be raunchy and disgusting. But for the both of them, it was their way of bonding to each other.
"Good Night, Cedric" Sofia nodded at him before closing the door
For a second there, the Sorcerer saw a glimpse of that young toddler back in the day with her rosy cheeks and high pitched voice greeting her the same way. Despite the changes in her, that girl is still indeed the same Sofia
Who was he kidding? When she noticed her amulet was glowing again, she hurried and dragged him in the middle of his work and ruined his afternoon to help a princess recover her cat from a tree from a different kingdom.
But despite this, it shows Sofia's nature well. Despite her questionable mannerisms and demeanor she still remains that pure and kind-hearted girl like how she was before. The girl who will go out of her way to help others.
Shrugging those thoughts away, Cedric decided to retire for the night and turned the lights off. When he made his way to his room upstairs, he put his want unto a certain wand case that was resting well on his table.
A wand case that despite the years that have passed… is still in good condition.