The dust of the bookshelves had kept open, almost a topping on every book that was placed. The shallow inside had tiny cobwebs that almost seemed like a village inside – thankfully the spiders weren't as imminent
"You know, I could just clean the upper part if you want!"
A voice echoed through the tower, almost bouncing back from wall to wall until finally reaching a certain sorcerer on the ladder
There he was, Cedric, looking for something that might give interest to his endeavor. Lately, he had been missing something in his entire alchemy. It only took until recently before he finally realized what it is
"Have you found the flask yet!"
"Shush Sofia, and I haven't found it yet" Cedric yelled back
"Do you want me to come help!?" Sofia shouted with her palms fanning her mouth to make her voice seem louder
"No, it's way too dangerous for a child!"
A pout forms on Sofia's lips upon hearing this. Despite all her achievements, he still sees her as the little girl that she is
Sofia had been Cedric's apprentice for quite a while now, her job included cleaning the station for safekeeping in exchange for magic lessons. But upon her entire time in the said premise, she haven't really been in the upper wing of the tower just yet
Cedric had told her many times it was still dangerous for her to climb there, and she understands that he is just looking out for her
But sometimes, her curiosity's grasp works in mysterious ways.
And so, she found herself waltzing by her workstation. She didn't really have any business being here, today is supposed to be a rest day for them, but somehow, she found herself coming back
Her eyes scrambled upon the empty vials, the droplets of potions on the table and the nice hot chocolate that she had brought him that he hasn't even seen yet
On the corner of her eye, she saw a certain something that readily caught her attention. An old looking box that was hidden deep in between of the big books by the shelves.
Sofia reached for the box, which was dusty all over. It was sealed close, and the opening was sheltered. It belonged to Cedric, she figured upon seeing a certain nametag on the front
-0-
Cedric
-0-
She wondered why it was kept distant – it is probably something important that belongs to him that he doesn't want anyone to see. And so with courtesy and respect for her mentor, she put it back to its old spot
As she turned away, her eyes still returned to the box. Her eyes narrowed down as she bit her lip of anticipation
She really wanna see what was inside
And so she looked up, seeing Cedric was still high up still looking for his flask. He should be busy enough to be away from the ground for a couple of minutes. This would be enough for Sofia to check out what was inside of that box
Her hand raced back, gripping the box again with haste.
"It's not like there's a 'do not open sign, I hope Mr. Ceedric doesn't mind…" She whispers to herself as opens the box
What revealed to her was something she wasn't expecting. A couple of papers with some kind of a drawing in it. Sofia picked one, carrying it closer to her eyes to inspect it closely.
"It's the lamp post from Hexley Hall…" she mumbles to herself
The drawing was quite strange, it had remnants of old oak ink that was good for sketching light views. The background was non-existent, making one's attention solely on the center. The style was quite unorthodox.
Sofia picked one again, this time was a chubby cat who had long whiskers. She couldn't help but be kept in awe with how cute it was
She wondered if it was Cedric who drew these, Sofia definitely didn't know he was good at drawing in the first place. Her thoughts bombarded her thoroughly that she didn't even notice a certain presence just beside her
"Enjoying ourselves, are we?"
Sofia jumped, flabbergasted and astounded over the voice. There he was, Cedric himself with a grin of suspicion on his face
"When I told you to organize my things, I didn't mean to uncover, Princess Sofia" Cedric scoffed
"I'm sorry Mr. Ceedric, I just thought the box contained the flask that you were looking for." Sofia blinked, immediately returning the papers to their respective places
The sorcerer huffed a sigh of exasperation
"Oh well, you've seen it already anyways. It's not like I'm keeping them a secret" He reprimanded with understanding "You may see them, I guess"
Sofia's face lit up upon hearing this
"Thank you!" Sofia cheered picks up another paper. She was definitely in awe, she had no idea her favorite sorcerer had such talent in him
"Your drawings are very good, Mr. Ceedric"
"They are sketches, Sofia." Cedric answered
"What's the difference?"
"The other one, you make up on your mind, while the other, you have an inspiration or a model to base off by"
"I see" Sofia slowly nodded "Either ways, I think they are ah-mazing~"
"Right." Cedric muttered "Are you gonna help me with the searching now?"
"Oh come on, Mr. Ceedric, let's take a break for now." Sofia patted down the chair next to her "Here, come sit with me"
"Lets? As far as I know, I was the only one searchin…"
The sorcerer paused, sighting a certain eyebrow raised upon the princess's face with her hand still patting the seat next to her. She looked adorably harmless with that face of hers but her authority still resides.
"Fine…" Cedric walked to the chair to sit with Sofia
A smile fixes on Sofia's lips this time as she uncovers more pages from the box
"You should really display these, they are really good" she said "keeping them in solitary is like keeping away your hard work"
Cedric could see that she was enjoying herself.
"I used to sketch stuff back in the day, in my teenage years to be exact. I was terrible at first, but I eventually got the penny of it. And it's not like you can practice sorcery out in public – and so I just sketched random stuff to pass time"
"I see." Sofia said "So you developed your skills over time?"
"I guess you can say that."
There was only one paper left. As Sofia reached out to grab it, Cedric's hand swiftly pulls the box away. Sofia immediately looked at him and a very nervous smile was now on Cedric's face
"This is uh… a very terrible one" Cedric nervously stuttered, taking a step backwards
"Oh I see, can I?" Sofia took a step closer
Cedric hid the box behind his back
"Uh… this is uhh…" Cedric nervously mumbled
The girl just stared at him with a blank expression. Somehow, with the way Cedric is acting, it basically fuels her curiosity
"What are you hiding there, Mr. Ceedric?" Sofia leered, suspicion starts lingering in her eyes
"It's nothing special… just a terrible sketch that is."
Her gaze took longer than usual, lingering from him to the paper. He was looking away, avoiding her gaze throughout, and this only made her suspicious even more
"Okay, Mr. Ceedric. I guess if it's not important, then I guess it isn't…" Sofia stated in 'defeat'
"Now that's what I've been telling you about" Cedric stated, placing the box back to the shelf.
Sofia went closer to the shelf, which made Cedric anxious yet again. The sly girl is definitely planning something, he knew her darn well
"Why don't you come back later, Princess Sofia" Cedric said "There's not much to do here"
"It's okay, it's not like I have something better to do anyways" Sofia responded in a casual way
Cedric sighed in relief. She seemed to have forgotten about the box. There should be nothing to be worried about
But as he turned around to the ladder, the sly princess immediately reached out to the box to see what was inside. The noise it generated alerted the sorcerer, but upon apprehending it, it was too late
There she was, Sofia, holding the last remaining paper in her hand. She had a surprised expression on her face
Cedric groaned, grimaced and gasped, the whole cat is now out of the box. He should've hid that box somewhere else.
The princess however was still stunned, still focused on the paper.
"I-I can explain…" Cedric stuttered
Sofia finally looks at him. He seemed very nervous and anxious, even jumpy. So this was the sketch that he was trying so hard to be kept hidden
"Who is this, Mr. Ceedric?" Sofia asked in a rather calm voice "I didn't know you drew people as well, a girl even"
What she saw was a nice sketch of a lovely young lady, her features seemed like she was also in her teenage years.
Cedric was fumbling, not knowing what to say. Sofia could tell he was distraught over this. A pout forms on her face with the possibility of this lady being someone prominent in his life throughout
It was a weird feeling, she wanted to be mad… but on who? It's not like she can be mad with Cedric, she probably was still even a toddler at that time. And restricting him from having friends is selfish of her
But her favorite sorcerer sketching a girl that's not her… is making Sofia petty for some reason
And so she had made up her mind
She stood up to Cedric looking away, making sure he was looking at her upon uttering her request to him. He stared back, quite astounded with how Sofia looked
"Sketch me." Sofia demanded with a stern look on her face
It took quite a while for Cedric to process the request, but Sofia's regal stance stood still in front of him, refusing to back down
"You want me to sketch you?"
Sofia nodded
"But why?"
"Because!" Sofia grunted in defiance "Just because…"
"What the heck, Sofia is acting like a spoiled little girl right now"
"That's ludicrous, I don't even know if still have the skill on doing so" Cedric huffed, standing up on doing so "Besides, I only sketch things that I really want to sketch"
As he turned to Sofia, the girl was now on the sofa in a certain pose that made him sigh yet again
"I'll have you know that I'm not moving a muscle until you draw me, Mr. Ceedric"
"It's sketc…" Cedric paused, this whole thing is getting to ridiculous to even comprehend
"I'm not having this…" Cedric thought to himself, turning around in the process
"I'm serious!" Sofia whined in desperation "I'm gonna be here forever!"
"yeah right, suit yourself" Cedric took a seat on his table to start brewing potions. He was still in abundance with the missing flask, but perhaps he could improvise.
Pouring a mixture on a test tube, the reflection on a girl appeared on it. She still had the same pose on his sofa, and she was staring at him. Her pout was that visible, that he could see it in the reflection
A feint chuckle escaped out of his mouth realizing how silly she looked. This part of Sofia is rare, no one gets to see this side of her except for him. Somehow, he felt special.
And so he continued on his potions
After what seemed like a couple of minutes, everything was silent now. The constant foot taps and the whining has completely stopped. It was getting late in the afternoon, and so Cedric immediately assumed that she has finally given up and went out of his workshop
Realizing this, he stood up to his feet and stretched his back
"Peace at last" he smiled
But as he turned around, the sight he saw made him grimace all of a sudden. There she was, no other than Princess Sofia herself, the lovely, adorable and cute princess that every girl wants to be…
Dozing off while drooling over his nice sofa
This infuriated the sorcerer, remembering that it took him weeks just to get it fixed. And now it has been completely abused by Sofia
He wanted to wake her up, and kick her out. Her funny face made it easier for him doing so. Cedric wanted to take a picture of it and save for eternity
The thought of this brought a bright idea to him, since she wanted him to sketch her so bad, he might as well give her a taste of her own medicine
Gathering his materials from the drawer just below the table, he prepared his pad and pen, as his eyes fixated on a certain princess drooling over his nice sofa
xXx
"Sofia, this is the girl, I told you about"
There he was, standing next to a familiar girl. That's it! I remember who she is. She's that lady that Cedric sketched in his teenage years
They are too close to each other, and their hands were intertwined with each other as well.
What is going on!
"Aww, she looks very cute!" the lady spoke "And very small
"But anyways, it's been fun Princess Sofia, but we best be get going now. Thanks for everything." Cedric stated, as he turned around with the woman
Where is he going? Why is he with that lady?
SO many questions in my mind
But one thing is for sure
HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE!
"Mr. Ceedric!" I yelled at the top of my lungs
My footsteps started moving, but the more closer I get, the distance gets bigger
They were too far away now, I can't reach them
"Mr. Ceedric!" I screamed in hysteric "Don't do this please!"
He didn't listen, he seemed to be having lots of fun with the woman he's with.
"Mr. Ceedric!"
My voice was loud, but it didn't reach him. But before finally fading into the background, he turned around to me with a smirk in his face
"Goodbye, Princess Sofia~"
"Cedric!"
"Wh… what!?"
Sofia woke, her eyes seemed droopy and her back was stiff. The first thing she saw was no other than the sorcerer himself holding what seemed like a pen and paper in his hands
Tears started to form on little Sofia's eyes as she literally lunged at him with her little form, causing both of them to fall to the floor
"MR. CEEDRIC!" she whined all over, while literally clinging unto his head
"Princess Sofia, get off me" Cedric desperately muffed, trying to get Sofia's hold off him completely off but her grip was just very strong. He almost forgot that the princess is actually very athletic
Sofia cried, wailed and wept. Her voice was loud enough that somebody in the castle could and might hear her. This would immediately cause some misconception and misunderstanding for sure, especially when it's literally Princess Sofia.
The royal family wouldn't be happy with this.
And so without hesitation, Cedric carried her small frame with his hands and he spun her round and round, to try to calm down Sofia like a little baby
It didn't take a while before a smile finally fixes on her face, clearly enjoying the wind brushing her cheeks. Her hair also seemed to moved along with the strands that slapped his face all throughout
After what seemed like eternity, Cedric finally placed her down. His arms was starting to hurt after all
"More!" Sofia stated
Upon doing so, she finally comes back to her senses. She was now at a more calm state.
"Oh I'm sorry about that, Mr. Ceedric." She said, realizing everything now
"Don't worry about it, Princess Sofia" Cedric responded while fixing his robe that was thoroughly disheveled completely "What was that anyways? Have a bad dream or something?"
Sofia got up in her thoughts, perhaps it was, but she got nothing. She had completely forgot what her dream was about
"I think I had a terrible dream, or you could say."
"really? What's it about?"
"I forgot" She answered with a toothy grin
"Figures."
Cedric knelt down to take the pad that was on the floor. He was still in surprise, that was… a completely different side of Sofia just now. Cedric knew about her other side where she can be quite annoying and whiney – but that was a whole complete different Sofia he just witnessed. Perhaps it was another side of the little girl that was yet to be discovered.
Either ways, it was funny seeing her like that
"What do you have over there?"
And speak of the frickin raccoon
"This was supposed to be a sketch of you sleeping"
"So you finally decided to sketch me?" Sofia's face lit up
"Of course" Cedric responded as he gave her the sketch
He was expecting a happy reaction, or a typical "It's very wonderful, Mr. Ceedric!"
But what he got was…
"I look very silly in this, Mr. Ceedric!" She whined yet again "You even sketched my drool in full detail!"
"Well I sketched what I saw." Cedric looked away
"I was drooling!?"
Cedric pointed at a certain wet spot on his sofa
Sofia immediately became flustered over this, embarrassed over her mishap
"I-I'm very sorry, Mr. Ceedric. I'll clean it up"
"It's okay, and don't even bother to be flustered over it" He spoke turning on his shoulder with a chuckle
"I don't mind this side of you, Sofia."
His words pierced, broke though and destroyed her façade. The royal princess façade was completely shattered into pieces, revealing her other side to him.
She finally realized that she didn't need to hide herself behind that mask. With Cedric, she can be honest and free. Her thoughts will be heard and he wouldn't judge her for it
She had been hiding the little girl in her, making it seem that she is all mature and grown in front of everyone to keep the "princess image". Sofia had done all of this to please everyone, but not herself.
But deep inside, she is actually just a little girl who wants to be pampered and spoiled. And finally, she didn't need to cover her true self for someone. Sofia knows Cedric wouldn't think ill of her for this, their relationship is so much more than that
And so Sofia, removes her tiara, takes off her dress, leaving her nightgown on. She takes Cedric's purple robe sitting on the sofa and wears it herself, making her look like a purple hamster.
The little girl lets out a chortle, as she literally lounged back in his sofa which caused a sudden creaking noise.
Cedric turned, and déjà vu, the sight from earlier returned. This Sofia in front of him feels completely different.
"Hey Mr. Ceedric, can I have your sofa. It's very comfortable" Sofia stated in a quite different tone, very different from her usual soft and polite demeanor.
This tone was more of, high pitched and quite shaky. Like a child that she is. She didn't sound like a royal princess, she sounded like a spoiled little girl.
It didn't take long before he notices the dress and tiara lying on the floor, and the fact that she was now wearing his robe like a literal blanket
"Sofia!" he finally grunted "What is this?"
Sofia grinned, which followed with a gurgle.
"That dress is too tight, and the tiara feels heavy on my head." Sofia whined
She then takes the sketch to herself and pulls out her wand "Fianna Selvio" she casted, flickering the wand unto the paper, creating a frame all over it afterwards "We have to make sure it's well kept"
"Are you pulling a prank or something?" Cedric asked "This isn't like you at all, Princess"
The little girl laughed, more so loud than usual. She placed the frame at the table as she looked at him
"No, this is the Sofia that I've been keeping inside for a long time now. The Sofia that no one knows, but now – you know, Mr. Ceedric." She stated with a toothy grin "Can you imagine the pressure of being a princess? Well now I finally have someone to vent it out with – and that someone is you, Mr. Ceedric"
His grimace deepened, not quite following this whole debacle. Just this morning, she was the Sofia everyone knew and love. And now… she was this."
"Anyways, while you're here, can you please get me some of your muffins" Sofia demanded while lying down on his sofa
"Hah, why should I?" Cedric retorted with defiance
Sofia hopped in front of him rather quickly with her hands on her hips
"Because you are Mr. Ceedric, and I am your princess" Sofia stated with a confident smile on her face
Cedric was lost for words, the soft-spoken, kind and mild Sofia that he knew was nothing but an act? Or is this the act? Who knows.
Suddenly, a few knocks was heard on the door. This immediately brought distraught to Cedric, for Sofia might get seen in this state. But as he turned to her to help her, she was already in her "princess" form with her dress on and tiara on her head
Baileywick enters, not suspecting a thing. There she was, Sofia in her "princess" mode, completely different to the one Cedric just witnessed earlier
"The dinner is already served, Princess Sofia" Baileywick stated
His gaze was somehow distracted by a certain frame on the table from afar
Without hesitance, Cedric snatched the frame out from his sight with a nervous smile on his face. Sofia had a bead of sweat on her face with this – that was a close one
"I'll be right there, Baileywick. Thank you" Sofia greeted in her nice princess-like tone
The steward nodded before walking away.
Sofia blew out a sigh as she turned to Cedric
"You better keep that somewhere where no one can see it, Mr. Ceedric." She whispered in his ear
"I don't think theres an area in the workshop that any person can't get access to. This place is open for everyone"
"Keep it in your room then."
"What!? Why would I keep a sketch of a girl in my room?"
"Just do it, Mr. Ceedric" Sofia whispered back, the tone she had from earlier was lingering despite her low soft voice
The princess then waltzed out to his door, but stopped midway to give him the same smirk she had just earlier
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Ceedric" She stated before finally leaving
The sorcerer was at loss for words, the day was too hectic, too hectic even. He didn't even know that Sofia had such a side to her.
But for some reason, he felt honored to be the only person that she's shown herself with.
The more moments they spend, the more things they discover about each other
Who knows what other side Cedric will discover about his apprentice tomorrow?
He then made his way to his room, finding a perfect spot to keep the frame sketch of Sofia. As if it wasn't embarrassing enough to have the collection of Sofia's gifts to him
Cedric decided to keep it on his shelf, just beside the window. He took another glance, and a smile forms on his face. She looked very different in the sketch with her drooling and stuff, yet, it felt genuine.
Sofia letting him keep this must've been a sign of her deep trust towards him, but he didn't entertain such thoughts anymore. He is no more than a servant to her, a teacher to be precise.
He could be anything to her, but he didn't care. He enjoys being with her, and he's sure that she feels the same. The moments being with Sofia is something that he cherishes to the fullest…
Whatever side it may be of Sofia
~The End~
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Cedric prepared for the night, only the light of the candle illuminating the now dark workshop with the evening.
He then notices a certain lace on the floor, it belonged to Sofia. It must've been with earlier when she took off her dress
And the thought of this made Cedric remember something, which made him cringe on the spot with the possibility that she may have taken off the amulet as well, such a missed opportunity
"Oh, Merlyn's Mushrooms…"