Brushed with Love

Summary: Home for the holidays, 18-year-old Sofia learns from Cedric that he has a surprise for her: an enchanted painting easel and canvas. Whatever she imagines comes to life in the form of an enchanted painting. What begins as a niche and sweet idea quickly turns revealing the more the two long-time friends talk and unveil the secrets they've kept for so long. (AU from my own stories)

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First.

A/N: This is the alternative scene for Octi's story! 😊 The beginning of the story is exactly the same as the other version. Look for the following message, and that is the new potential ending: *ALTERNATE ENDING STARTS HERE*. Enjoy!

*Story*

The holiday break couldn't have come at a better time. The slew of complicated content that both Amber and Sofia had been studying at Ever Realm Academy (ERA) had slowly begun to add an extra layer of stress that neither of them needed. Because Amber was busy interning at a practice castle with scenarios in place for her to practice her future leadership and kingdom rule, and Sofia was preoccupied with her Protector duties almost every evening, both girls were exhausted. In fact, Chrysta had insisted that Sofia take a few weeks off to get some much-needed rest, despite the princess's protests.

"Evil doesn't rest, so I can't either," Sofia had proclaimed nobly to her friend, though she was soon met with, "We have many Protector trainees who want to prove themselves, Sofia. Take the break. You earned it."

The girls hadn't been home long before James had grabbed his twin into a hug before practically dragging her down the corridor to show her some gifts that he'd gotten her on his knight excursions. Watching this was both amusing and sweet to Sofia. For two people who had fought and argued so much when they were younger, it was nice to see them getting along much better now that they were young adults.

Of course, that left Sofia to her own devices. They'd already greeted their parents, Baileywick, and a few other castle dwellers, so now she just needed to figure out what to do. She didn't have to ponder this long when she felt a pair of familiar gloved hands fall over her eyes, and a soft, "Guess who," whispered into her ear, making her both smile and…shiver?

"Cedric?" Sofia guessed, giggling as her vision was restored. She turned to face her longtime friend, throwing her arms around his neck. "Where were you earlier? I was looking forward to you meeting us when we arrived."

"Ah, sorry, Sofia," Cedric chuckled, noting that she'd still yet to release him from her enthusiastic hug. Not that he was complaining… He'd missed her hugs. With that in mind, he kept his arms wrapped around her for the time being. "I was a bit busy putting the final touches on your gift, actually."

That particular mentioning caused Sofia to release her friend and take a step back, her smile never leaving her lips as she glanced up at him. "My gift, huh? I always love your gifts, Cedric. I'm sure I'll love this one too."

"I certainly hope so… I put quite a lot of thought and…magic…into it." The sorcerer knew he'd said too much when the expression on the younger girl's face changed from calmly happy to overly excited. Yes, 'magic' was still the keyword to get the girl's attention. "But… You'll be able to get it this evening, after you've done all your family activities that I'm sure have been planned."

"Okay," she agreed, nodding. "I made something for you too. It's not 'magical,' but I made it with love."

Cedric chuckled, reaching up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, noticing with interest how her cheeks pinkened ever so slightly at his touch. "That's the best kind, Sofia. Right then." He moved his hand instead to her shoulder, gently patting it. "I'll be in my workshop, so just come find me later this evening, all right?"

She nodded. "All right." She turned and left, hearing Cedric do the same behind her. Her heart was thumping a little more loudly than it normally would, but this was nothing new. The last few years, her interactions with Cedric had been a little less friendly and a little more…exciting? She loved him as a friend, but there was something unique about their bond. It didn't take her long to realize that this new feeling that washed over her was a few steps above infatuation and right around the line of amorous affection. But she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to admit that to him just yet. After all, they were really good friends, and a change like that could completely shake up their dynamic. And whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she wouldn't know until it happened, but… Right now, she figured she'd just let things happen organically and see what came of it. What she knew, though, was what she had always known: she loved him. But there were new layers that she just needed to peel back and reveal to him, which would happen… Eventually…

Once the family festivities had passed, Sofia found her way up the familiar curve of the stony steps leading to the top of the tower. Oh, how she'd missed this… The near-daily traversing into her friend's workshop to chat, to practice magic, or to just hang out and enjoy time together… She really hoped her time at ERA would move smoothly and swiftly toward its conclusion just so she could be back with her family and friends more often–but especially Cedric. He'd always held a special place in her heart that no one else could possibly fill, and seeing him again after months away from Enchancia had been a recharging she hadn't known she'd needed. Or maybe she had, especially since her heartbeat grew a bit more enthusiastic the closer she got to his door.

When she knocked on the door and received the affirmative call to enter, the welcoming scents of pine, cinnamon, and sugar wafted through the usually cool and chemical-filled environment and surrounded her like a warm blanket. Speaking of warmth, she noticed that the sorcerer had a magical fire softly crackling under his work desk, with the heat emitting nicely but no real licks of a flame to cause the wood any damage. She loved magic.

"I take it your evening with the family was pleasant?" Cedric inquired, smiling at the princess.

"It was. The food was awesome, and I got some neat gifts from Mom, Dad, and James. Amber already gave me a new pair of shoes when we were still at ERA." She hopped onto a stationary stool, leaning onto the worktable with her hands cradling her face. "So…" She sat up straight and reached into a bag wrapped around her body, withdrawing a carefully packaged gift covered in blue and gold trim. "I brought your gift. Do you want to open it first?"

Cedric shrugged as he sat on another stool, nodding in agreement as she pushed the gift toward him. "If that's what you'd like. I'm fine either way."

She grinned, pointing toward a few ribbons dangling from the sides of the gift. "Okay, open it then. And just remember, I didn't have a lot of free time with all the classes I was taking, so it may look a little weird, but I tried."

"I've loved all the gifts you've ever given me, Sofia…" He smiled playfully at her as she blinked at him. "Especially the wand case, but even those ridiculous socks all those years ago."

Sofia scoffed, folding her arms. "You said your feet get cold, so I took that to mean, 'I'd really like some socks for Wassailia.' I was just trying to be helpful." She cleared her throat as he chuckled and began unwrapping the gift. "It's not my fault that they were three sizes too small. You just have strange feet."

He laughed. "Well, my mother said I'm special in my own way, so say what you will about my feet." Hearing her laughter, he had to admit to himself that he'd definitely missed this. Their banter, their playfulness, their everyday conversations… He didn't have that with anyone else. Merlin knows, he'd tried… But with Wormwood gone, and Baileywick still a little distant sometimes despite his obvious changes for the better… He didn't really have much of anyone else to spend time with. That first week Sofia had left for ERA a few years ago had been very hard on him, as he wasn't used to being away from her for such a long time. He had only recently come to the conclusion that it wasn't just because he valued her as a friend… No, in the last year or so, during her infrequent visits, with their steadily deeper discussions and more meaningful hugs, he'd discovered something else there… Now, if she felt that same feeling, he wasn't sure, but maybe this year would be the year he'd find out the truth. After all, if nothing else, he had a fantastic friendship with the most incredible person in the Ever Realm, and for that, he was exceedingly grateful.

"At least you were able to magically resize those socks," Sofia added as an afterthought, smiling when her friend rolled his eyes in an amused fashion. She grew a bit quieter as she watched him carefully undo the wrapping, tugging each precious festive piece of paper aside, to reveal a long-knitted scarf woven with purple, blue, and gold patterns down the span of the soft accessory. She tried to read his expression to see his reaction to her gift, but all she could see was his eyes roving over the patterns, and his fingers carefully spanning the fabric and tracing each peculiar design. "Do you…like it?"

"Like it?" He looked at her in confusion, frowning. "Sofia… This is beautiful. Why did you say it looks weird?"

She lowered her head a bit, sighing. "I know I usually try to get you something…meaningful, from the heart. That wand case was probably the best I'll ever be able to do, and that was years ago. This is just a scarf. It's something you can only wear for, like, four months out of the year, maybe. At least you could wear those resized socks any time you wanted."

Cedric couldn't help laughing, despite the serious matter. "Sofia, my dear…" He reached out to her, taking her hand. "I think you severely underestimate how much I value anything you make for me. And despite the standard of scarves only being worn in the wintertime, remember that this tower, like the castle, can get rather drafty regardless of the season. Rest assured that I'll wear it whenever I need to. And it is a meaningful gift because you made it. The colors are important to me, like the little designs…" He lifted the scarf to wear it draped over their clasped hands, pointing with a free finger at the imagery of wands, books, and what appeared to be a ruby. "You did a marvelous job. I promise you. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

Sofia smiled appreciatively, squeezing his hand a bit. "Yes, you would, because you are a sweet person who doesn't want to hurt my feelings. But…I can tell you do mean it, so thank you. I'm glad you like it."

"Love it," he corrected, a slight 'tsk' falling from his tongue as she laughed and corrected herself. He let go of her hand and used both hands to wrap the lovely scarf around his neck, nodding in satisfaction as it fell into place down his back and over his shoulder. "Now then, I've a gift for you as well." He lifted his wand from the worktable and pointed toward something in the shadows of the tower, which was draped heavily with dark purple fabric. Magically, he moved the gift to the table, lowering it right in front of the princess. "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will." Sofia wasn't sure why she felt a little anxious so suddenly, but that didn't stop her from reaching up and grasping the purple fabric, slowly pulling it away to reveal what appeared to be an easel with a light canvas already fastened into place. "Oh, wow. I haven't had an easel in a long time… It's even been years since I painted anything." She grinned at him, missing the mischievous glint in his eye. "Thank you so much, Cedric!"

"Ah, wait, before you go thanking me too much, I should explain a bit about this…" He stood and moved next to her, standing right behind her as he pointed toward the easel. "You will notice that I did not provide you with either brushes or paint. That is because you will not need them."

She looked to her right as Cedric moved over to lean on the table, his eyes fixated on the gift before her. "So… That's where the 'magical' part comes in?"

He nodded. "It's an enchanted easel and canvas. Whatever you imagine, just with a little tap of your wand to the canvas, the magic will create the imagery for you."

"Oh, wow…"

"And you can either reuse the canvas, or you can simply request a new one by tapping your wand here after you remove the old canvas." He pointed toward the top of the easel, where there was a tiny ruby affixed into the wood layer.

Sofia wondered if that ruby was from the same batch that she had left him when they'd first met, but her thoughts waned on that topic as she excitedly withdrew her wand from her dress pocket. "I've missed being able to use magic all the time, so I can't wait to try this!" She tapped the wand to the canvas and concentrated, a smile breaking onto her face as an image of Clover appeared, her favorite bunny friend munching on some vegetables.

Cedric laughed. "I might have known your woodland creature would be a subject."

"Can't forget the lovable Clover," she admitted as she removed the canvas from the easel, setting it aside in a secure spot, before turning back to the easel. She used her wand to tap the small ruby, smiling as a new blank canvas appeared. "Okay, this is beyond amazing."

"Don't you mean…ah-mazing?" Cedric teased, chuckling as she snickered.

"Well, I mean, obviously…" Her eyes roved over the empty background, her brain trying to process all the options available to her, but she couldn't think of any other paint-worthy scenarios right then. "It's so weird… You'd think with such a neat gift, with unlimited options, I'd have so many ideas… But I'm drawing a blank. I don't want to waste this magical gift on something silly. I want it to be meaningful…" She smiled at him, reaching out with her free hand to take his own. "The way you intended it…"

The sorcerer hummed, squeezing her hand gently. "It's your gift, Sofia… You can use it however you wish. You could imagine a scene from an earlier part of your life, familiar surroundings, something completely bizarre, or even your future… What's something you've always dreamed of happening that you hope to one day experience?"

Sofia felt her cheeks warming a bit the longer she and her friend held hands. She noted with curiosity how his fingers brushed hers, his nails ever so lightly skimming the sensitive skin along her knuckles and the base of her palm. Who knew her fingers were so sensitive? She failed to recognize that her wand had activated, its magical stream flowing straight toward the canvas. Instead, she found herself captivated by those kind brown eyes of the sorcerer who had allowed her into his once hardened heart all those years ago. He'd accepted her friendship, helped make him a better man, and now constantly proved himself as a changed individual by creating something so…beautiful. Intimate, almost, as it was like looking into her very heart and the darkest (or lightest) recesses of her mind… "Cedric, I…"

*ALTERNATE ENDING STARTS HERE*

Cedric said nothing as he continued tracing her fingers and hand, his own absently drawing invisible lines and curves around her skin, especially on her ring finger. He smiled gently as he looked toward her again, his hand moving once more to where his arm carefully wound around her, holding her as if she were the most precious being in existence—someone who needed to be protected and cared for. Of course, where the pretense ended and reality began, he wasn't quite sure.

"Cedric, look," Sofia whispered, her eyes drawn away from him and toward the canvas, the background a happy yet sporadic mixture of pastel colors, the center of the surface now the focal point. She'd only just noticed her wand's stream of magic flowing toward the canvas, but the feeling of the sorcerer's fingers pressing curiously into her side distracted her from thinking much of it. As she looked at the canvas, she saw the outline of a figure that looked quite a bit like her, complete with long wavy hair and a flowing summery dress. The figure in the painting seemed to be gliding backwards amidst blades of grass and flowers, if that even made any sense…

Cedric observed a secondary figure appearing next to Sofia, clearly a male figure, with his arms wrapped around her as she…danced, perhaps? He frowned, not liking where this was going. It wasn't that he didn't wish for his friend to be happy with someone in the future. He just wished… His arm instinctively maneuvered from around the princess as his hand now settled over hers, the wand clutched in her fingers reacting to his additional touch. The visual of the couple vanished, replaced instead by two hands enclosed in swirls of purple and pink glittery magic—one hand gloved and the other slenderer, but both with glistening rings.

Sofia's cheeks tinged pink as she recognized those hands. Reacting, she turned her hand palm up, both her hand and Cedric's clasping the wand at the same time. She looked toward the canvas, her eyes growing a little misty as two familiar outlines, shaded in soft pastel purples, embraced each other and seemed to magically move toward each other, their lips just barely brushing.

"Sofia, please," Cedric began, his breathing a bit shallow as he released her, the wand now clasped in just the princess's loose fingers. He stepped back from her, wrapping his arms around himself in some sort of self-soothing manner. "We…um… I'm not certain if…this was such a good idea." The last thing he wanted was for the revelation of the next magical painting to be Sofia in the arms of some prince or duke. The day would come soon, doubtless, when she—like her sister—would be urged to choose a suitor. He dreaded that impending day… He didn't want to lose…

"Cedric," Sofia whispered once again, lifting her free hand to cover his, a small smile on her lips. "I think we both know… I think it's obvious…"

He blinked, clearly confused, but intrigued when she stepped closer to him, squeezing his hand gently. "It is…?"

Neither could explain the draw they felt to each other, the feelings that overwhelmed them then… They stared into each other's eyes, as if entranced by the other before them. To Sofia, Cedric's warm brown eyes were comforting and familiar, and full of sincerity and compassion. To Cedric, Sofia's blue eyes were deep and enchanting, filled with the wonder she'd always possessed and…something more.

Sofia was about to say something else, but something in her peripheral vision caught her attention, and she turned toward the canvas. Gasping softly, she looked toward Cedric, a blush very much present on her cheeks now.

"Hmm?" Cedric followed her line of sight, his mouth hanging open at what he was seeing.

On the canvas now was a very clear image of both of them, dressed in what appeared to be wedding attire, his ever-present golden bowtie and her pink amulet further proof of who the painted images were. The painting cleared even more, and the image-based couple drew together, their lips closing in a passionate kiss. And that…was where the painting decided to settle.

"I…" Cedric cleared his throat, though he was now shaking as Sofia glanced up at him. "I'm so sorry, Sofia…"

"Sorry?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You must think me a fool. I did not mean to… I just thought that…" He stopped his blabbering the moment he felt the princess's hand settle on his cheek.

"You were thinking…of me?" she clarified, her gaze growing softer as her lips lifted into a pleased smile, especially when he nervously nodded. "So… You want to kiss me."

Cedric flushed, noting how mischievous his friend looked. "Sofia, I—"

"You want to hold me, and be with me…" She looked at the painting again, her eyes now tearing up a bit as the playfulness faded and a mixture of relief and astonishment passed over her features. "You want to…marry me…someday?" She asked it with such hope that it nearly caught her off guard. After all, a picture was worth a thousand words… But their painting right now spoke far more than words ever could.

He couldn't deny this now. Not when his princess seemed so fragile, albeit in a good way… The wrong words could shatter this experience, and he had no intentions of doing such a terrible thing. Cedric wrapped his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head, smiling to himself as he felt her embrace him in response. "I can only tell you what I feel now, Sofia… It would be an honor to marry you someday, but…"

Sofia tensed up when she heard that dreaded word. Could he not really feel as deeply for her as she thought? What about the painting? Was it just a figment of her imagination? Had she done it all, and he just…? She felt her face lifting toward her friend's as his hand tucked underneath her chin.

"But first…" He smiled, kissing her ever so gently on the lips, chuckling quietly as she smiled in response. "I love you."

"You're right," she giggled, brushing her nose against his, making him blush again. "I guess that should come first. And I love you too." She nodded toward the painting, grinning. "Obviously."

"And how do we go about telling everyone else of this exactly?"

Sofia stepped back, capturing both of his hands in hers, the wand clasped between their palms again. "One step at a time, Cedric. We'll tell everyone when the time is right. But for now, I think we should just see what it's like being together in a new way. What do you say?"

He nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, her quiet laugh like bells to him. "I can't think of a better Wassailia gift."

The end