Small Miracles

Wassailia Day was almost over. The candle had been lit, gifts had been exchanged, and the royal family and their guests were now dancing or enjoying food and drink. The ballroom was decorated with garlands of holly, and the Wassailia tree was well lit. Sprigs of mistletoe dangled from various sections of the ceiling. It couldn't have been more perfect. Well, almost everyone felt that way…

Sofia frowned as she searched the ballroom for a certain sorcerer. She was dressed for the occasion in an elegant red gown with white accents. Her auburn hair fell down her back in loose waves. Instead of wearing a tiara, she had chosen to wear snowflake–shaped barrettes on both sides of her head. She was carrying a neatly wrapped gift that she hoped to give Cedric as soon as she found him. After fruitlessly searching for another few minutes, she sighed and walked over to a table where her parents sat.

"Mom, have you seen Cedric?" she asked her mother, who had just finished a gingerbread muffin.

Miranda tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think I saw him leave right after the candle was lit."

"He left?" Sofia asked in dismay.

"I'm honestly not surprised he left," Roland said, not noticing his daughter's clear disappointment as he took a spoonful of jiggly wiggly pudding from a rather large bowl in front of him. "He's never really liked parties. I'm sure he would rather stay in his tower than be here." He raised the spoon toward his mouth but gasped when a hand grabbed his, halting the motion. He blinked at his wife. "Miranda?"

"Rollie, dear, I think you've had enough pudding for now." The queen smiled sweetly as she pried the spoon from his grip, setting it back in the bowl. She nodded toward the dance floor, where couples were dancing to some slow music played by a group of musicians. "You did promise me a Wassailia waltz, and I would like to do that sometime during Wassailia."

Roland grinned sheepishly. "Of course, dear… I just couldn't pull myself away from my favorite dessert…" He cleared his throat as his wife and daughter rolled their eyes. "I can fulfill that promise now." He stood and offered Miranda his hand, smiling as she took it. He pulled her to her feet and led her to the dance floor.

Sofia watched wistfully as her parents began to waltz. If only Cedric hadn't left so suddenly, she would probably be dancing with him right now. She sighed and glanced down at his gift. She supposed she would just have to take it to his tower and give it to him there. She started walking toward the ballroom doors, but she paused when she caught sight of a lone box in a chair. Curious, she walked over and examined the box. It was empty; except for a few layers of soft fabric, which made Sofia think something fragile had once been inside. Suddenly, a mischievous smile formed on her lips as an idea crossed her mind.

A few minutes later, Sofia stood near the edge of the dance floor waiting for her sister to finish dancing with one of the guests. As soon as the dance ended, she caught Amber's eye and waved her over.

"What is it, Sofia?" the blonde asked as she glided over to the younger woman after excusing herself from her dance partner.

"Amber, I need your help," Sofia responded hopefully. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"I suppose." She yelped when her sister grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward the ballroom doors. She sighed and held up the skirt of her emerald green gown and matched the other girl's quick steps out to the corridor. Sofia led her to a bench not far from the ballroom's entrance. Amber gave her a quizzical look when she saw the items laid out on the bench: a wrapped gift, a box, some wrapping paper, and a ribbon.

Sofia just smiled. "Can you wrap this box and take it to Cedric?"

"Me?" An elegant gold brow rose in bewilderment. "And why can't you do this?"

"Because I'm going to be in the box." Seeing her sister grow even more confused, the auburn haired girl reached out to pick up Cedric's gift before clasping her amulet with one hand. Winking toward Amber, she called out, "I wish to be small." Instantly, she shrank to the size of a Wee Sprite.

A grin crossed Amber's face as she finally realized exactly what Sofia was planning to do. "You're going to give that poor sorcerer a heart attack," she joked as she knelt down and lowered her open hand, allowing her tiny sister to climb into her palm.

"I don't know about that," she giggled as Amber slowly rose to her normal height. "Cedric has seen all kinds of strange things. We live in an enchanted world, after all.

"True. But I don't think he's ever gotten a tiny version of you for a gift." She smirked knowingly. "You're literally giving yourself to him."

Sofia couldn't hide the light blush that crept over her face. "Amber…"

The future queen laughed softly before becoming serious. "But are you sure this is a good idea? We both know how clumsy Cedric can be. What if he drops the box?"

"I don't think that will happen," Sofia assured her. "But even if he does, that box is filled with enough soft stuff to protect me."

"Hmm…" She lifted the box's lid, checking for herself that it was indeed safe. Satisfied with the layers of soft fabrics, she turned back to the little princess in her hand. "So, I put you in the box, wrap it, then take it to Cedric?"

"Yep!" Sofia nodded enthusiastically.

"Mm, all right." Amber carefully lowered the other girl into the box, making sure she was nestled comfortably among the soft, fluffy materials inside before closing the lid. She then proceeded to wrap the box in the green paper Sofia had provided, finishing by tying the white ribbon into a perfect bow. After examining her handwork, she picked the box and, trying hard not to jostle it too much, headed for the sorcerer's tower.

Before long, the blonde princess arrived at the door to Cedric's tower. She took a moment to smooth down her skirt and make sure every strand of her hair was in place before knocking on the thick barrier.

"Come in if you must," came a muffled reply.

Amber raised an eyebrow and opened the door, stepping into the workshop and blinking at what she saw. Books, cauldrons, potion containers, and even a table were floating around the room, while other items had been moved into piles on the floor. It took her a minute, but she spotted the royal sorcerer himself partially under his worktable, his backside facing her. "Cedric?"

Startled to hear Amber of all people, Cedric jumped, hitting his head on the bottom of the table. "Ow!" he grumbled, raising a gloved hand to massage his sore head as he backed out from under the table. He turned to face the smirking princess. "Princess Amber, to what do I owe the painful pleasure?"

"And a happy Wassailia to you too, Cedric," she retorted as she maneuvered over to him, ducking under a pile of levitating books as she went. "What's going on in here? Why are all these things floating?"

"I was looking for something," he responded as he stood up.

"Did you find it?"

"No," he sighed, feeling a bit discouraged.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, princess." He folded his arms and gave her a disinterested look. "And why are you here in my tower when you could be in the oh–so–lovely ballroom dancing with overdressed nobles?"

Amber put one hand on her hip. "Hey, I brought you a gift, so you might want to show some respect for your future queen." She smirked when he eyed the box in her other hand. "But I do want to get back to those 'overdressed nobles' as you so cleverly call them." She giggled as she handed him the gift. "Here… BE CAREFUL WITH IT!" she practically shrieked when the sorcerer took the box and held it haphazardly.

Cedric blinked in confusion as he righted the box in his hands. "Um…"

The blonde laughed, waving a hand. "Oh, it's just… a very delicate gift." She cleared her throat. "Well, I should get back to the party." She turned and carefully made her to the door. When she reached it, she turned back to the sorcerer and smirked. "Have fun with your… gift." With a wink, she was gone, closing the door behind her.

Cedric just stood there staring at his closed door. That was odd. He couldn't fathorn why Amber had seemed so concerned about the gift. He shrugged and turned to his table, setting the thing down. Looking it over, he wondered who the gift was from. There were no tags that would tell him this, so he reached for the ribbon and started to tug at it. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he groaned. What if this mysterious gift was a prank? The princess's strange behavior was certainly a little suspicious. Cedric stared at it, half tempted to just ignore it and return to his previous search for his lost item. But his curiosity got the better of him. He picked his wand up from the table and pointed it at the gift, watching as the ribbon and paper fell away from the box. Using the tip of the wand to open the box's lid, he peered carefully inside. He sighed in relief when he saw all the soft, fluffy materials inside. He also saw a lovely little figurine that looked just like…

"Happy Wassailia, Cedric!"

"AH!" The startled sorcerer leapt backwards, dropping his wand and bumping into a floating cauldron before falling on his backside. Heart pounding in his chest, he could only sit there on the cobblestone floor and stare with wide eyes at the box on his table.

Inside the box, Sofia couldn't help giggling.

Hearing the familiar giggles, Cedric sighed and stood up, moving back to the table and peering inside the box at his much smaller princess, who smiled innocently up at him. "Sofia? What in the Ever Realm are you doing in there? Trying to give me a heart attack?" He gently put his hand inside, lowering it next to her.

"Amber thought I might." She laughed as she climbed into his gloved hand. As he lifted her out of the box she held onto his thumb with one hand and his gift with the other. "You left the party before I could give you your gift, so…"

"So you put yourself in a box and had your sister deliver a 'gift' to me," he surmised. A playful grin crossed his face as he held her up in front of his face. "Hmm… I rather like my little princess. I must find a special place for her."

Sofia blushed. "Cedric…"

"I'm just joking, love." He chuckled as he bent down. lowering his hand to the floor and allowing her to hop out of his palm before straightening up.

She clasped her amulet, calling out, "I wish to be big again." Immediately, she grew back to her normal size.

"I must say I like you in this size much better," he said.

"Oh, Cedric…" She laughed merrily as she handed him his gift. "Here's your gift. I hope you like it."

His face softened as he took it. "I always love your gifts, Sofia. You put so much heart into every gift you give, and I am honored that you have given me so many of them." He gave her a fond smile as he carefully undid the wrapping paper. Finding a rectangular box, he opened the lid. "Oh, Sofia…" Inside the box was a golden bowtie with silver snowflakes sewn throughout the silky material. He touched it with one finger, humming in delight at the softness before taking it out of the box and holding it up. It was the perfect length, and it looked so much brighter than his old bowtie. And the snowflakes seemed to shimmer like magic "Did you make this?" he asked, unable to stop looking at it.

She nodded, smiling shyly. "I figured you could use a new bowtie, and I know you love snow as much as I do on Wassailia."

"It's beautiful, Sofia. I love it." He smiled happily as he took his old bowtie off and tossed it on the table, slipping the new one around his neck and starting to tie it. Suddenly, his face fell, his hands dropping to his sides. "Oh, Merlin's Mushrooms!" he groaned, hanging his head.

"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning worriedly.

The sorcerer sighed as he raised his head and gave her a sheepish look. "Sofia… I lost your gift," he confessed.

She blinked. "Oh…" Well, that wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"I'm so sorry, my love. I was planning to give it to you at the party, but I realized I didn't have it with me. I've been trying to find it." He gestured around the workshop, indicating all the floating objects. "But it doesn't seem to be anywhere I look." He sighed in frustration, dragging one hand down his face. "I know I had it with me while I was decorating the castle, and I know it was in my pocket when I went to Mystic Meadows…"

"Oh, Cedric, it's all right." She smiled gently and reached up to run her fingers through his bangs, calming him. "Besides," she added as she tied the new bowtie into a perfect bow before resting her hands on his shoulders. "You really don't have to give me anything."

"I know, my dear. It's just…" he sighed, reaching up to take her hands and holding them. "I really wanted to… give you your gift… tonight, on Wassailia."

"Well, I'm sure it will turn up," she said optimistically. "But there is something you can give me now."

"What's that?"

Sofia smiled sweetly, a rosy blush painting her cheeks. "A kiss."

The sorcerer chuckled, releasing her hands and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. "I can do that." He leaned down and captured her lips with his.

Sofia moaned softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and parting her lips to deepen the kiss. Cedric's kisses were always wonderful, and kissing him was enough of a gift for her. The two of them were so lost in each other that they didn't realize a ball of light had flown out of the portrait of Cedric's parents.

"Uncle Ceddy."

Startled, the sorcerer and princess broke the kiss and looked toward the source of the voice. Calista stood there in a red dress, her hair spilling down her back in dark waves with the light pieces framing her face. As a teenager, Calista still loved to look like her uncle, something that touched him deeply.

"C–Calista," Cedric gasped, trying to will his heart to slow down. Apparently, it was the night everyone chose to startle him. He wondered if there would be any more scares tonight. "When did you get here?"

"Just now." The young sorceress grinned innocently. "You two seemed pretty busy." She giggled as her uncle and friend both blushed heavily. Then she looked at the princess. "Sofia! I love your dress! It's such a glorious red!" she gushed happily.

Sofia laughed. "Aw, thanks, Calista. Your dress is lovely too."

"But what are you doing here?" Cedric asked his niece, garnering her attention. "I thought you and your mother were doing some holiday activities with your grandparents."

"We are," she confirmed. "But I happened to find this on the sofa where you were sitting earlier during our gift exchange." She held up a small dark purple box. "It was wedged between the cushions. Is it yours?"

"Yes!" He stepped forward and snatched the box from her hand, opening it and sighing in relief when he saw the object inside. He smiled happily as he reached out to hug the young girl. "Thank you so much, Calista."

The girl gasped in surprise at the fact that her uncle was actually the one initiating a hug. It was usually her who hugged him first, so whatever was in that box must have been really important to him. She smiled and returned the embrace. "Of course, Uncle Ceddy. Anything for my favorite uncle."

Sofia watched the two with a tender smile on her face. She loved Cedric's hugs, and watching him hug his niece warmed her heart.

After a minute, Calista stepped away from her uncle. "I should get back before Mum thinks I decided to stay here. I promised I would just give you a quick hug and come right back." She giggled before adding, "I didn't tell her about the box. You know how nosey she can be."

"Indeed," Cedric nodded knowingly.

"I'll be back for your birthday, Uncle Ceddy," she promised. "Bye, Sofia! See you later."

"Bye, Calista! Happy Wassailia!" The princess waved to her friend as the younger girl shrank into a ball of light and flew back through the enchanted portrait of Goodwyn and Winifred. "It's always fun to see her?"

"Mm… Yes, it is," Cedric responded distractedly, not yet turning to face her. He stared down at the box he now held in his hand in contemplation as he thought about what to do. He'd planned to give Sofia her gift at the party, but she was here in his workshop with him now. Perhaps it was better this way. After all, it was just the two of them. The more he thought of it, the more he found that he preferred to be alone with her and not in the ballroom with a crowd of noisy people. His mind made up, he took a deep, calming breath and turned toward his princess.

Sofia smiled as her sorcerer turned and moved toward her. She gasped in surprise when he got down on one knee, holding the little box out to her. Her hands flew to her mouth when she saw the beautiful amethyst ring inside. "Cedric…"

"Sofia, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed without hesitation. She laughed as her eyes filled with happy tears. "Yes, of course I will!"

A joyful smile crossed his face as he stood up, steadying himself as Sofia practically threw herself at him. He laughed and hugged her before leaning down to kiss her deeply. When he broke the kiss, he pulled the ring out of its box and took her left hand, slipping it onto her finger.

The princess beamed and held up her hand, watching as the purple stone shone in the light. Her smile grew as she reached up and slid her hands around Cedric's neck. "Happy Wassailia, Cedric."

"It's a very happy one, my love." Cedric barely managed to finish speaking before he was pulled down into yet another passionate kiss.

Outside, snow began to fall, covering the kingdom in a fresh white blanket.

A/N: So the Cedfia Discord server did anther gift exchange, and I was happy to get NerdsinaTree for my giftee. And I was actually able to finish this before Christmas. I hope you liked it, Nerdi. I think I got everything in your wish list. Merry Christmas!