The Grand Sorcerer 2 - (Sofia the First, Cedric!SI)
With the 'Pilot' conquered, it was finally time to face the main series itself.
The first episode had hardly anything to do with me, but I had to use a spell to produce some haybells when little Sofia was pushed off her flying quadruped friend during her tryout for Flying Derby. It was such a 'shocker' for the king when he first learned his step-daughter may not be as girly as his own blood daughter, but he was quite happy that things went smoothly in that regard.
Alas, a little complaint was lodged to the parents of Prince Hugo for literally trying to maim one of the royal family's members in a public competition. The king was lenient as he withheld from handing out punishments to the family, but the prince was supposedly given a proper spanking for what he had done.
With the first two weeks seeing little impression of yours truly within the adventures of the young lady Sofia, I was reminded that Episode 2 was where the 'fun' for me started. The Queen and the King visited early in the morning to ask me a favor.
"We would like for you to entertain a magic play with the girls as they are inviting friends over for a sleepover."
Ah yes, the Royal Jester had called sick so, rather than put more money on a specialist on the matter, I had been 'hired' for the occasion. Once again, I had no purpose in trying to snatch Princess Sofia' amulet from her, so I just decided to give the kids something to make the night smoother.
If I remember correctly, things went awry because Princess Amber was trying to keep the sleepover 'prim and proper' like a 'fine Princessly Sleepover', Sofia was trying to enjoy the same fun she had with her long-standing friends from before she became a princess.
The culture clash between a cast of young high-borns and peasants was quite predictable, but I don't think any adult had the chance to really monitor the situation as expected. Hence why I made a point in trying to keep things secured as to avoid any potential wasteful developments.
The kingdom's coffers may be full as of now, but it was best to not be too eccentric in how things were ruined due to childish developments. After getting everything I needed for the night, I prepared myself by one of the large halls near the sleeping quarters where the young girls would be spending the night in, and I waited for their arrival.
They didn't make me wait too long as it was clear the youngest trio was quite curious to see what sort of games were prepared for this slice of the night.
"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia's squeaky and delighted voice added a good thing to the current scenery: the correct pronunciation of my name.
If I remember correctly, it would have taken her several episode to get that one done right, but I guess our first encounter had given her plenty of reason to be quite mindful of that detail. Alas, I smiled as she looked absolutely giddy.
"Lady Sofia. I hope these days have been quite kind to you."
"They have. How are you?" She inquired. "Also, these are my friends
"Young ladies, I was tasked by the king to be your entertainer for tonight. Due to this, I decided to try out a little new game I have been testing out and can safely say may be quite pleasing for you all. I call it... the Wheel of Magic."
A large board appeared behind me and a most familiar wheel formed between me and the girls.
"The game is quite simple. Two teams, the names of which you can decide on your own, shall face a little challenge of guessing the right sentences. You will have each a turn to spin the wheel, and you will claim the points signed and, if you guess the right letter that isn't a vowel, you will score said points. The winning team each round shall claim a mysterious prize for each member."
The mention of game plus the presence of prize and the chance to play in teams seemed to be just enough to get the girls hooked on this little 'spin' at Wheel of Fortune. 'Team Flying Acorns' against 'Team Pretty Princesses', it was one of the biggest games of the micro-century.
Five rounds of intense guessing, mixed with dares and giggles. I would have expected some heat, but I was surprised by a relatively competitive but positive attitude from both groups. Then again, no one was given bad gifts.
The first round went to Sofia and it gave her and her friends some nice dolls with a few clothes sets to be used in various capacities for games, the second and third round was Amber's successful wins as she obtained precious-looking scarfs and new wonderful gloves that glowed though glitters for herself and her friends.
The fourth round was Sofia's comeback as she won a set of winter dresses for the rest of the team, while the the final round ended with a medium-sized cake that was made with Amber's own tastes in mind.
I know, as an adult it felt a bit 'wrong' to give the kids food at this hour, but it was a small cake for six girls. And since it was meant to be a tiny slice each, it made sense that they could handle it. Also, I knew Amber had mellowed through the game, and actually offered the cake to the two friends of her sister.
Despite her prissy attitude, Amber still had a good heart and one that was easily swayed to be nice when put in the right spot. It was a sweet gesture that seemed to be enough to stop any ensuing issues and surprisingly made the girls lethargic and sleepy.
I didn't put anything 'suspicious' in the cake, so I knew it was just the six kids being quite drained after a fun game as Wheel of Magic. Before leaving, however, I was gifted one last interaction.
"Mr. Cedric?" Sofia called before yawning quietly. "Thank you for giving us something to do."
"Oh, none of that, little lady. I was tasked to do a job, and I tend to do the finest."
She perked up at this. "Are you really that good at magic?"
"Without trying to brag much, I am considered one of the best."
"That's so great but... can you teach me?"
I offered a tight smile. "I am afraid that's not within my roles. You will learn magic at school, I can assure you that."
The plot would eventually push me into that, but I was not planning to let it happen for a good reason: I was not the silly and wimpy Cedric. I was someone that had decades of magic under my belt, studied under Merlin and Yen Sid, and had done a few oddjobs to become unneeding of a wand to cast my spells.
I was not the kind of conventional magic a young princess should look for since some of my 'free time' was actually spent dealing with big issues that went beyond Enchantia itself. So, having her around as an apprentice meant opening a big can of worms I wasn't sure how to handle.
I had time before that happened and, luckily so, I could find her a tutor that could fit with her needs.
But for now, I best worry on my own projects rather than be too anxious over this topic.
AN
Cedric the Entertainer, Cedric the Crowd-pleaser, Cedric the... I guess the guy that goes fixing the damn dimensional BS that tries to invade this realm of existence from time to time.