So... this kind of got away from me.

It took Cedric another three days to finally create a product he was satisfied with, and one more to work up the courage to actually present Sofia with the gift.

Sofia had come up to visit him after she got back from derby practice, and was in the middle of telling him about the next race coming up when he blurted out, "I have something for you."

She tilted her head, puzzled. "You do? But it's not my birthday or anything."

"I- I know," Cedric replied, swiveling in his chair to face his desk. He opened one of the drawers and took out a long, thin box, then turned to face her again. "It's a thank-you gift," he continued, holding it out to her. "For helping me get my family wand."

Sofia took the box, looking up at him. "You don't need to thank me, I was happy to help!"

"No, I… I do need to," Cedric said, fiddling his fingers. "It really meant a lot."

Sofia smiled and turned her attention to the box. She undid the latch, lifted the lid, and gasped.

"I made it myself," Cedric said, glancing off to the side. "I hope it turned out alright."

"Alright?" Sofia exclaimed, lifting the wand out of its case. "It's beautiful! I had no idea you were so good at making things!"

It was simple, not much different in design from one of her training wands, but it was made of a rich, polished mahogany, inlaid with a small line of gold around the base and tip, and an 'S' was carved onto the knob at the bottom.

Cedric laughed nervously. "Well, you should have seen the other ten tries."

"You really put a lot of effort into this," Sofia mused, running her fingers over the glossy wood.

He tried to shrug it off. "It wasn't that big of a deal. Something to do to pass the time, really."

It was obvious Sofia didn't buy it. "Couldn't you have just used magic?"

"Ah, no." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Using magic to make wands doesn't tend to end well."

"I guess that would make sense." Sofia hummed a little tune and danced the wand in the air so it left a trail of glitter behind, a trick she'd come up with on her own, and Cedric couldn't help a smile.

"Do you know why my family wand is so special?" he asked, leaning forward to prop his chin in his hand.

She paused. "Because it was made from an enchanted tree?"

"Well, yes," Cedric admitted. "But that's not all of it. See, every tree has it's own kind of magic, enchanted or not. That's what makes wands work. The full reason it's so strong is because it's a family wand. It gets passed down through the generations, and it soaks up magic from each person who uses it. So as it travels from hand to hand, it gets more powerful with each sorcerer who picks it up. That's the real secret behind it." He glanced over at the wand box Sofia had made him. "And I thought maybe you'd like to start your own family wand. That is, I suppose," he added with a grand gesture, "if you should decide to follow the prestigious path of sorcery."

Then he realized that she'd been oddly silent, and he looked down at her. She was staring at the wand in her hands, eyebrows drawn together in consternation.

"Is something wrong?" Cedric asked as he mentally scrambled back through the past few minutes, trying to figure out where he'd messed up.

Sofia dragged her eyes up to meet his, her grip on the wand tightening slightly. "Do you think… that it's possible to be a princess and a sorceress?"

Cedric blinked, taken aback. He hadn't really been serious about his last comment. "Well, uh…" He trailed off, scratching behind his ear. "Well, I don't see why not."

But she wasn't done. "It's just, everyone focuses on proper royal etiquette and dancing and planning events like that's the most important thing, and I really do like all of it! I love racing and having tea parties with my friends and everything else. But…" She bit her lip and looked down at her new wand again. "But I think I like magic class the most, and coming up here to help you. And I feel like sometimes you're the only one who doesn't treat me like a kid. I mean, I am a kid, but you show me all the interesting stuff that you do when anyone else would say I'm not old enough, or that it's not proper for a young princess." When Cedric didn't respond right away, she continued, "In school, all the sorceresses we learn about are wicked somehow, especially the ones who are royalty. I don't want to end up like that, or have people think that I will."

Cedric sighed. "Princess Sofia, you are such a good person that it's sickening. I doubt there's anything that could change that – except if you decide to clone yourself again, then we might have a problem." This elicited a small smile from her, and he felt a little breath of relief. "The truth is," he said, "it's unlikely you'll be a queen unless you marry into another royal family, and frankly that sounds boring because you'd end up playing second fiddle to your spouse. What's the point of being in charge if you're not actually, y'know, in charge? So you'll need something to do. Why not be a sorceress? It's got its perks. Just ask my mother-" He paused. "Actually, no, don't. My point is! My point is…" He drummed his fingers on his chin. "It can be an adventure, I suppose. Unless you're me. Then you're stuck up in this tower and nobody likes you except for some obnoxious princess who won't leave you alone. But you're you, and everybody loves you and you've got a whole world out there you can explore. Do what you want, I say."

Sofia chewed on her lip. "You really think I can do it?"

Because it felt like the right thing to do, Cedric reached out and gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "I think you can do anything," he said.

At that, her sunny grin returned full force. "Then maybe I could become your apprentice, for real this time!"

Cedric opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, at a loss. "I, um…" He pulled his hand back towards his chest. It had been rather fun, taking her on as a temporary apprentice while she prepared for her test. And that time he'd been a substitute teacher hadn't been completely awful. Yet, this felt like it would be something different. It would be a commitment. A commitment he wasn't entirely sure he could, or should, make. But she was giving him that hopeful look that he was never able to resist. He had to think of something, some way out that wouldn't let her down too badly. Inspiration struck. "I suppose you'd have to ask your father's permission, first," he said. And he'd never agree.

"Alright!" Sofia said cheerfully. "I'll be right back."

"No, wait, I didn't mean right now-!" But it was too late. She was gone.

Cedric dragged his hands down his face and looked over at Wormwood, who was on his perch, preening his wings. "King Roland would never agree," he repeated out loud. The sound of his words unnerved him for some reason, and he stood up, suddenly feeling the need to be moving. "I don't have time for an apprentice," he muttered, beginning to organize his desk, which was covered in of loose sheets of paper and alchemy equipment. "But she's already up here so often. In a way, it would just be making her presence official."

He shook a pipette at Wormwood. "That's just it, though! It would be official. Then people will expect things of me." He shuddered. "And what then? When will I have time for my schemes, with Sofia always poking around?"

"Probably about as much time as you have right now," Wormwood said, rolling his eyes.

Cedric crumpled up a piece of scratch paper and tossed it at the trashcan. It bounced off the rim and landed on the floor. He stomped over, picked it up, and hurled it down into the can as hard as he could. It hit the top of the already-full can's contents and sprung back up, landing on the floor again. With a frustrated growl, he kicked the trashcan, and it went spinning across the room, leaving a whirlwind trail of paper behind it and bumping to a stop against Wormwood's perch. Cedric slumped his shoulders and began to pick up the scattered trash.

"I don't know," he said as he stuffed the papers back into the trash. "Would it really be so bad? I suppose I rather do like teaching. And Sofia's an adept pupil. Maybe… maybe I could…" He trailed off and collected the rest of the mess in silence. Once he'd returned the trashcan to its corner, he looked back at Wormwood. "But King Roland would never agree," he said once more, and this time it was accompanied by a small stab of disappointment. He tried to shake it off. "It's just as well. I've got enough responsibilities as it is. I don't need to be a glorified babysitter on top of it all."

Returning to the desk, he began sorting the clutter again, shuffling papers into stacks and packing away beakers. "It's just as well," he said again.

"Cedric?" asked a familiar voice that was most definitely not Sofia's.

Cedric nearly screamed in surprise, every nerve in his body suddenly on high alert. He whipped around, clutching his chest, and forced a smile. "Y-Your Majesty!"

"I'd like a word with you," King Roland II said, stepping into Cedric's workshop and closing the door.

"Of- of course," Cedric replied with a small bow. Oh, I'm in trouble.

Roland crossed his arms. "Sofia just asked me a very interesting question. I'm sure you know exactly what it was."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Cedric said, cringing internally. "I assure you, it wasn't my idea."

"Oh, I know that." Roland's expression was unreadable, and Cedric fought the urge to wring his hands. After a long moment of scrutiny that made the sorcerer squirm, the king asked, "And you want to do this?"

There it was. That was the question, the crux of it all, and he didn't know what the answer was going to be until the words slipped from his mouth. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said, and it slotted into place like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Roland walked over to a stack of books and picked one up, flipping through it. "Being her mentor would be a big responsibility," he said. "You'll be in charge of a part of her education, and you'll need to look out for her just as much as I do. In certain amounts, she'll be in your care. You do realize this?"

Cedric swallowed, feeling a twinge of guilt and uncertainty. He hadn't always had Sofia's best interests in mind, and having it all listed out made the task seem truly daunting. But he found himself saying, "I… I do, Your Majesty."

King Roland gave him an appraising look. There was another tense moment, and then he clapped Cedric on the shoulder. The sorcerer tried not to flinch away. "There's something she sees in you, Cedric," Roland said. "And I think I might be starting to see it, too." And then he said the five words that Cedric was simultaneously hoping for and dreading: "She can be your apprentice."

Cedric's eyes widened. King Roland… agreed.

"Under one condition," Roland continued, holding up a finger. "It won't interfere with her schoolwork or with duties she has as a princess. If that happens, it's over. Am I clear?"

"As crystal," Cedric replied. This was actually happening.

Roland smiled, giving Cedric's shoulder a friendly squeeze, and suddenly Cedric found himself thinking of the days they were younger and there wasn't yet a rift between them. He stepped back a little too quickly, and Roland's smile faded just a bit. "I'll send Sofia up," the king said, turning towards the door. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear the news."

"I'm sure," Cedric said weakly. Once Roland was gone, he looked over at Wormwood and said, "This is a disaster."

Suddenly the door flew open again, and Sofia's arms were wrapped around Cedric's knees in a vice-like hug. "Thank you so much, Mr. Cedric!" She let him go and grinned up at him. "This is going to be great!"

Her smile was infectious, and Cedric couldn't have kept from smiling back if he tried. He sat down so he was at eye level with her and said, "Well then, Sofia, are you ready to take that prestigious path of sorcery I was telling you about?"

"Yes!" Sofia said, clapping her hands together gleefully.

Then the bell in the clock tower began to toll, and Cedric looked out the window in surprise. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten. Looking back at Sofia, he said, "Why don't we start by making sure you're not late for dinner?"

"Oh, right," Sofia said, a shadow of disappointment crossing her face.

"You can come back once you're done," Cedric said, leaning towards his desk. "It'll give me time to put together some kind of lesson plan." That's a thing I need to do, right? I'll have to ask the fairies for some pointers. He resisted the urge to shudder at that thought.

"Alright!" Sofia replied. "I'll bring you back some food. You really should eat more, Mr. Cedric."

"And you really sound like my mother," Cedric said dryly.

Sofia giggled, and then she was off down the stairs.

Cedric looked at Wormwood again. "A disaster," he repeated, but this time there was a ghost of a smile on his face.