Hair Time
"Uncle Cedric?"
Cedric paused from looking through a book he had just taken from a shelf in the castle's library, looking down at the little girl who had just appeared at his side. He smiled warmly. "Well, hello, little one. What can I do for you?"
Eight–year–old Princess Lorelei—or Lori as she liked to be called—smiled sweetly up at him. She had inherited her mother's amber eyes and her father's strawberry blonde hair, which fell halfway down her back in soft waves. She wore a turquoise dress with pink butterflies around the hem and matching turquoise shoes. Instead of being obsessed with tiaras like her mother, Lori was obsessed with bracelets, wearing one on each wrist.
"Will you braid my hair?" she asked hopefully, holding up a brush and ribbon.
"Me?" He blinked in surprise. "Why don't you ask your mother?"
"She's in a meeting with Granddad and Grandma. And Daddy can't braid hair."
Cedric chuckled at that. Desmond was one of the smartest people he knew, but, for some reason, he had never gotten the hang of braiding hair. "And what makes you think I can?"
The princess grinned. "Mom told me you used to braid her hair when she was little. Besides…" Her grin turned to a mischievous smirk. "I've seen you playing with Aunt Sofia's hair."
A flush warmed the sorcerer's cheeks, and he cleared his throat, putting the book back on the shelf. Playing with his wife's hair was one of his favorite things to do, and he did it quite often, no matter where they were. He just hoped the young girl hadn't witnessed any of the more intimate moments that sometimes came with playing with Sofia's hair… "Very well. I suppose I can do your hair."
"Yay!"
Cedric put a hand on the girl's back and guided her toward a sofa. He sat down and placed a cushion on the floor in front of him. He took Lori's brush and ribbon from her, setting the ribbon aside. He watched as she sat down, spreading her skirt around her the way she'd been taught. He then noticed something. "Where's your tiara?"
"I took it off when Mom went to the meeting." She sighed and started playing with one of her bracelets. "I don't see why I have to wear a tiara all the time. I wish I could be like Aunt Vivian. She's a queen, but she hardly ever wears a tiara."
Cedric couldn't help snickering as he brushed his niece's hair. He wondered what an eight–year–old Amber would have thought of her future daughter's disinterest in tiaras. Knowing what she had been like back then, he figured she probably would have sought him out and demanded some sort of spell to change the future.
"Uncle Cedric?"
"Hmm?" He set the brush aside and separated her hair into three sections, beginning to braid it.
"When will Aunt Sofia be back?"
"In a few days I believe." Sofia had taken their children to visit Tilly, who had some little adventures planned for them. They had already been gone for a week.
"You miss her, don't you?"
"Very much so." he sighed softly. "But she'll be back with your cousins soon enough."
"Why didn't you go with them?" she wondered curiously.
He shrugged. "I have my duties as the royal sorcerer." He finished the braid and tied the ribbon at its end. "There you are, my dear."
Lori raised one hand to feel her hair. "It's perfect!" Smiling happily, she jumped to her feet, picking up the cushion and setting it back on the sofa before kissing her uncle on the cheek and taking her brush from him. "Thanks, Uncle Cedric! You're the best!" With that, she skipped out of the library, giggling merrily.
Cedric sighed and leaned back against the plush cushion, turning his head to glance out a nearby window. The sky was the exact same shade of blue as his wife's beautiful eyes, and a fond smile graced his lips. He couldn't wait to see his Sofia again. "Hurry back, my love," he whispered. "I miss you terribly."
He sat there for a few more minutes before leaving the library and heading for his tower.
A/N: Just a little slice of life story. Lori is my OC. I hope you like it.