I own things, yes, but I don't own Sofia the First.

From Sweetness to Bitterness

Cedric yawned widely as he made his way through the castle hallways to the room he now shared with his wife. When they got married, Cedric had decided it would be better to move into the main part of the castle, rather than have Sofia sleep in his drafty tower, where it could get very cold in winter. Besides, there was no way all their clothes could fit in his tiny wardrobe. Yes, he could enlarge said wardrobe with magic, but that was beside the point. Their bedroom was relatively close to the tower where he still had his workshop, but there were times when he wished he had kept his bed in the room that was now his potion storage room. Tonight was one of those times.

It had been a long day for Enchancia's Royal Sorcerer. Right after breakfast, Roland had given him a long list of things to do for a party that was being held the next day. Why the king had to wait until the day before the grand event to give him the list was beyond Cedric. Usually, Sofia would be in the workshop helping him. But just as they had started preparing to make the first potion Sofia had been called away on an urgent Protector mission, so Cedric had been left alone to make all the potions on his own. It had taken all day and part of the night, but he had successfully checked off everything on the list.

It was now almost one thirty in the morning as the weary sorcerer trudged through the halls. He hadn't seen his wife all day, and he hoped she was all right. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but he always worried that something horrible would happen if he wasn't there to protect her. Also, he knew it was foolish to even think about, but sometimes he worried that some handsome young man would come and sweep Sofia off her feet and ultimately take her away from him.

He finally reached their bedroom door and opened it, quietly stepping inside. To his relief Sofia was in bed, fast asleep. She must have been very tired because she would normally wait up for him, no matter how late it became. Too tired to do much of anything, he pulled out his wand and flicked it, changing his everyday clothes to his pajamas. Ambling to his side of the bed, he put his wand on the nightstand and blew out the candle Sofia had left burning. Crawling into bed next to his wife, he leaned over her and placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered, brushing some auburn stands out of her face.

Sofia didn't stir, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a dreamy smile.

Pulling the blanket up around his body, Cedric lay back on the soft pillows. He was asleep almost instantly.

…

He had no idea where they were. Perhaps they were somewhere in the Mystic Isles. Or maybe it was some other magical place. All he knew was that they weren't in Enchancia. They were under a tree in a valley with tall cliffs that looked like gingerbread. There was a waterfall nearby that flowed into a river of rainbow colors. The grass smelled strangely of peppermint. The tree they were under had a crystal white trunk. Its leaves were in bright purple and pink hues. What was odd about this tree was that it grew cookies and cupcakes. Cedric sighed happily as he watched Sofia swinging in a swing that hung from a sturdy branch. Wherever they were, they were in their own sweet paradise.

Hearing his exhale, Sofia glanced over at him, smiling brightly as the swinging motion slowed. "What are you thinking?"

"I was just thinking how lovely you look in that dress," he smiled lazily.

She blushed and looked down at her dress. It was a long flowing white gown with golden straps on her otherwise bare shoulders. The circular neckline was lower than what she usually wore, and her amulet rested on the exposed skin of her cleavage. A piece of purple was tied loosely around her waist. Her hair was loose, but she wore a crown of small white flowers on her head. To Cedric, she looked like the goddesses from the old stories, particularly Persephone, the Goddess of Spring.

She hopped off the swing and sat next to him on the ground. "I like it here. It's so peaceful, and no one else is around to remind me of all the things I have to do."

He snickered. "Are you referring to Baileywick?"

She rolled her eyes. "And Amber… And Chrysta…" she sighed. "I love my family and friends, but sometimes I just want to be alone with you."

"The feeling is natural, my love."

"And look," she reached up, plucking a cupcake from a low branch. "This tree grows desserts. James would love it." She took a bite of the little cake, humming in delight as she savored the sweet taste. "Mmm. It tastes just like chocolate mixed with magic. Just like…" A light blush crept across cheeks, and she quickly finished her snack.

He smirked as he eyed the purple icing that clung to her lips. "I see something that looks even more delicious than a pastry."

Sofia giggled as he slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her face upward. Leaning down, he licked the frosting with his tongue before kissing her passionately.

Suddenly, they heard a whinny and the sound of great wings nearby. It seemed that they were no longer alone. Cedric grunted his displeasure as he pulled away from the kiss.

"We can never get away long enough," he grumbled. "If that's Baileywick I'll teleport him straight back to the castle."

She just smiled humorously. "And what if it's my dad?"

The sorcerer balked. "Eh… well… Let's not dwell on that."

She laughed. "Let's just see who it is." She stood and pulled him to his feet beside her.

A majestic black flying horse landed near the tree, and its rider dismounted. It wasn't Roland or Baileywick or anyone from Enchancia. It was a handsome young man wearing a maroon robe with golden hair that shone in the sun. He smiled disarmingly when he spotted them approaching him.

"Hi there," the princess greeted him warmly. "I'm Sofia. And this is Cedric. Who are you?"

"I, fair maiden, am known as Alexander the Great. I'm the king of a magical land. I had a dream last night that told me I would find my bride in this strange place. Would that be you?"

Sofia laughed nervously. "Oh, no. that's not–" She paused as a strange look crossed her face. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

With horror, Cedric watched as Sofia opened her eyes again. Those lovely blue orbs were now glazed over. And the worst part was that he could do nothing, no matter how much he wanted to. He could only watch as his beloved Sofia walked up to Alexander and flung her arms around his neck.

"I have been waiting for so long," she said in a sweet voice.

"Wonderful," the king exclaimed, lifting her up and setting her on his horse. "We shall be married in the morning." He turned and bowed to the petrified sorcerer. "I shall take good care of your daughter. Farewell, my good man." He mounted his horse, and the magnificent creature took off.

Cedric could do nothing but watch as the flying horse flew into the distance and faded from view. Suddenly the world around him started to fade. The waterfall stopped flowing, and the river dried up. The leaves fell from the decaying tree, and the grass turned brown. Then the ground shook, and a huge crack opened under Cedric's feet, swallowing him and sending him to the dark abyss below…

…

Cedric gasped and opened his eyes. He was instantly relieved to find himself in his bed. Thank Merlin. It had been a dream. He rolled over on his other side and reached for his wife, seeking the comfort of her closeness and needing to hold her. But instead of touching the warm body he hoped to find, his hand fell on the cold empty space on the bed beside him.

Sofia wasn't there.

Stunned into alertness, the sorcerer sat upright and looked around in bewilderment, his heart breaking a little more every passing second. He was in his bed all right, but that was the only thing in the room. There was no other piece of furniture, no paintings on the walls, and no rugs on the floor.

Sofia had not only left him. She had left him with nothing.

Unable to bear the sight of the barren room, Cedric lay back down and curled into a tight ball. Whimpering, he buried his face in the pillow.

"No… Please… No…"

…

Sofia sat up and looked around, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Something had awakened her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Everything looked about as normal as it could in the middle of the night with moonlight streaming through the windows. The young woman strained her ears, listening for anything out of the ordinary. She didn't hear anything unusual. She was about to lie back down when she heard a sound like a whimper from beside her. Turning toward Cedric, she gasped.

"Oh, no," she whispered. "Not again."

Cedric was facing her on the bed. In the moonlight, Sofia could see the contorted look of pain on his face. As she watched, big tears began to fall from his eyes, dampening the pillow. He started convulsing as he murmured in his sleep. "No… Please… No…"

Unable to bear seeing him in such pain, Sofia reached over and shook his shoulder gently. "Cedric… Cedric, wake up."

His eyes flew open and he sat straight up, panting as he looked around frantically. He was in his bed, in his room, and everything was where it belonged. Every piece of furniture was in its proper place. The paintings on the walls were exactly where he'd last seen them. And his wife was sitting beside him. "S–Sofia? Y–You're still here?"

"Of course I am," she said calmly, frowning in concern as Cedric slouched forward and covered his face with his hands. She knew her husband sometimes had dreams about her leaving him. And she had a feeling that was the case tonight. She reached and gently touched his shoulder. "You had one of those awful dreams, didn't you?"

He nodded, letting his hands fall to his lap as he turned to look at her.

She smiled softly. She knew what he needed. She was always there to comfort him after one of those nightmares. Opening her arms, she invited him to come to her for a hug. "Come here, Cedric."

The sorcerer didn't need to be told twice. Scooting closer to her, he let his head rest on her shoulder as she embraced him tightly. Sofia began to hum softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

After a few minutes, he whispered in her ear. "Please don't ever leave me. I would be lost without you."

"I never will," she promised, leaning her head against his. When she heard a soft snore in her ear, she couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, Cedric. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to Dad about giving you a vacation. I think we can both use some time away from the castle."

Decision made, Sofia lay back on her pillow, taking him along with her. Shifting his head so that it was on the pillow next to hers, she placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you," she whispered as she drifted off to sleep herself.

She didn't see the smile that appeared on his face as he entered another sweet dream. And this one did not turn into a nightmare.

A/N: Thanks for reading.