Historically Speaking

Summary: Amber is preparing to welcome her new child into the world in a matter of days, but Cedric seems to have some serious concerns about her impending birth and wants nothing more than to ensure that he doesn't have to face a repeat of Lorelei's fate.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Ready for a bit more lighthearted stuff? Because I think it's time to have a little fluff. 😊 Of course, we're about to have a little heart to heart with Cedric and Amber, but there's also going to be a very necessary conversation with Cedric and Sofia near the end as well. Let's call it step one on the road to healing. Hope you enjoy!

*Story*

It was only a week until Wassailia, and things were finally starting to get back to a normal pace. The last few weeks had been touch and go with Sofia waking up screaming in the middle of the night (due to nightmares about Erine, of course), but she was slowly phasing out of it. She wouldn't talk about it though—not yet. In addition, Amber had been feeling a bit tired and sometimes even a bit under the weather, and with the baby due in just over a week, tension was high.

Lorelei had experienced similar symptoms before giving birth to the twins. Therefore, at Roland's and Desmond's requests, the medics were on standby in an apartment near the castle, just in case. They weren't going to risk a repeat of their former queen's fate.

One person this had affected was Cedric, whether he wanted to admit it or not. He and Amber were much closer now than they'd ever been. Granted, he'd never have the same type of relationship with her that he had with Sofia, but they were still close, regardless.

So, when the blonde princess came across the royal sorcerer in the library one evening, she instantly knew something was wrong. His hair was disheveled, he looked like he hadn't slept in a few days (or hadn't slept well, anyway), and he was practically dozing as he leaned against the table with several books scattered around him.

Amber approached him quietly, peering at the covers of the books: Modern Medicine Volume 6, Avoiding Pregnancy Trauma, To Push or Not to Push, The Final Trimester… She raised an eyebrow at the interesting choice of reading and pulled out the chair beside him before sitting down. She reached over and gently grasped his arm. "Cedric."

Cedric jumped, startled by the princess's voice. He stared at her with a wide-eyed expression, causing her to smile playfully. "P-Princess Amber!" He gulped as he saw her looking at his book collection and laughed nervously. "I…can explain."

"I certainly hope so. I didn't even know you were expecting." She snickered as he paled, clearly misunderstanding her jest. "It's a joke, Cedric. Calm down." She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it down. "No offense, but you look awful." She frowned as he sighed. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?" His downcast look was all she needed to know the answer to that. "Is it Sofia?"

"Partly." He glanced down at his hands, his fingers fidgeting with the cover of one of the books. "She's been a bit off since we got back from discovering the truth about Nana's past. But given what we saw, I'm not the least bit surprised." He sighed, resting one hand against his cheek. "She's trying to act like she's all right, but Tanya has already come to get me a few times late at night, saying that Sofia had woken up screaming and crying…"

Amber nodded, folding her arms over her stomach. "Nightmares?"

"Without a doubt, but she won't talk to me about it…" He looked toward the future queen with a defeated expression. "I've had to literally sing her to sleep and stay with her the whole night at least a few times already. And she's been more attached to Nana than ever, to the point where she hardly lets the little one out of her sight."

"Maybe I should talk to her…" Amber sighed, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers. "I don't really know much about the situation though." She smiled gently at the sorcerer when he sighed sadly. "Don't worry, Cedric. When she feels like talking, she'll talk. The last thing she'll want to do is worry you. Sofia has to process things her own way, though. Since we know what you guys experienced, I'm sure it's been very hard and heavy on her heart. Just give her some time."

He nodded. "I suppose you're right."

She hummed thoughtfully before nodding back toward the books. "So… About all these books." She smirked as he blushed a bit. "Care to explain?"

Cedric lowered his hands and leaned his head back against the chair once before turning to face her. "You're going to say I'm pathetic."

Amber smiled kindly and shook her head. "I won't. I promise." She gently grasped his hand. "What's going on, Cedric?"

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I just…don't want to lose you like I lost your mother." He opened his eyes again as he felt her grip on his hand loosen a bit. The sorcerer turned to look at the surprised princess. "I'm…sorry if that sounds morbid, but… It's true, Princess Amber. You know that your mother was one of my closest friends. Losing her was terrible for everyone, including me. The fact that I couldn't help save her never left my mind, and I felt awful for years after her passing."

She listened quietly as she clasped her hands in her lap.

"And I see so much of Lorelei in you now, from your tone of voice to the little things you do and say…" He shook his head. "I suppose, historically speaking… Losing you would be just like losing her again, but worse. Because you're not your mother; you're Princess Amber. And I've enjoyed getting to know you." He gestured vaguely as Amber watched him. "If anything were to happen to you, it would be twice as bad, if that…makes sense…" He scoffed, raking a hand down his face. "Of course, it doesn't make sense. I'm just a rambling lunatic."

"No, Cedric, I get it." She laughed as he blinked at her, lowering his hands. "In a weird way, despite our differences in the past, you've become family to me. Most of it is thanks to your relationship with Sofia, but let's not forget how close you and Daddy have gotten too." She smiled happily as he nodded. "You are family, Cedric. And honestly, I'd feel the same way if the roles were reversed." She winced as he balked at her wording. "Minus the pregnancy thing, of course… Heh. But yeah…" She nodded. "I do understand. But listen, I'm not going anywhere, okay? Medicine and medical attention have changed a lot since Mommy passed away, and Daddy has medics stationed everywhere." She smirked proudly. "Plus, I'm stubborn."

He scoffed, causing her to laugh. "No denying that." He chuckled softly. "Very well. I suppose I'm overreacting, but given all the complications lately, I think it's just in my nature to worry now… I'm sorry, Princess Amber."

She giggled. "First of all, there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm flattered that you care enough about me to worry that much, but I'm going to be fine." She waved one hand as he nodded. "And second of all, I think it's time we made a new change: you can drop the 'Princess' now."

He stared at her in astonishment. "I beg your pardon?"

Amber smiled. "You may work for us and everything, but like I said earlier, you're family, Cedric. And you're a good friend. Friends and family don't need titles between them." She winked as he smiled. "Sofia figured that out already, remember?"

"Yes, of course." He laughed. "Thank you…" He smiled gently. "Amber."

She grinned. "You're welcome, Cedric." She leaned over and hugged him gently, catching him a bit off guard. She laughed as he slowly returned her hug. "Now." She leaned back, playfully tapping his nose and making him chuckle. "I'm heading to bed. And I expect to see you at breakfast. Got it?"

Cedric nodded with a pleasant smile. "As you wish." He watched as she stood up and left the library, grabbing a worn book from a bookcase on her way out. He knew exactly which one she'd taken too. It was the same one she always took when she entered the library to find something to read: A Mother's Heart. She'd read it since she was younger, and now it was sort of an ode to her own mother…and perhaps to herself, whether she realized it or not.

He yawned once before using his wand to clear the table of its contents. He then left the library, magically dousing the lights as he exited. While he was originally planning to head back to his tower, he instead decided to make a detour before turning in for the night.

Sofia looked up from her spot on her bed when she heard a soft knock at her door. Both Tanya and Nana were already asleep, each of them cuddled up next to each other as they slept under a few extra blankets since the temperature had dropped drastically outside. Not wanting to disturb them, she slid from under the covers and crept over to her door, pulling it open. She smiled tiredly as she saw her partner standing there. "Cedric…"

"No nightmares tonight?" he asked gently as she took his hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them.

"I haven't been to sleep yet." She folded her arms, shivering a bit. Her usual long-sleeved purple pajama top and pants were warm on their own, but the draft in the castle this time of the year could still seep through the fabric.

"Come here." He took her hand and led her around the bed and over to her window seat. He conjured several pillows and gestured for her to sit down. When she did, he conjured a few large blankets, one of which he draped over her, and the other over himself.

She grinned in delight. "They're heated?"

"Nothing but the best and warmest for my partner," he joked lightly as he sat down next to her, smiling as she leaned against him and stared out the window. "Sofia… I don't want to upset you by bringing this up, but…" He gently caressed her arm as she sighed. "I know what happened a few weeks ago really bothered you. And now, I'm honestly just…afraid."

Sofia turned to face him, frowning. "Afraid?"

He nodded slowly as he trailed his hands through her loose hair, caressing her back in the process and causing her to sigh in content. "Afraid that…I'm losing you…" He wasn't lost on how incredibly ironic those words were now. He had been afraid of possibly losing Amber like he'd lost Lorelei. But he felt like he was losing Sofia in a very different way, and that was an entirely different level of fear for him. "Losing…your light, your happiness, your resilience, your hopeful spirit… Just everything that makes you Sofia…"

She turned away from him as he continued playing with her hair. "Seeing what actually happened to Erine broke something inside of me, Cedric… I think you know that. And it really bothered me a lot the last few weeks, and badly enough to where I had horrible nightmares about that scene, all over again." She closed her eyes, trying to will the images in her mind away. "I just wish…there was something we could have done for her…"

Cedric nodded as she turned her head a bit to see him. "I know, Sofia… I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I've given it some thought and have come to a realization."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "I'll take anything at this point."

He released her hair and shifted a bit, carefully turning her to face the bed where the girls were asleep. "Erine didn't actually go anywhere… When you think about it, she's still here." He gestured toward Nana, who was now snoring softly, causing the princess to laugh gently. "She's just in a much tinier form. Nana may not fully be Erine, or the other way around, but she still has a lot of the qualities that Erine had. And one of the best ways to honor her memory is to take good care of little Nana, which you have done an excellent job of."

Sofia smiled softly, leaning against him. "I couldn't have done it without you though… Where I've fallen short, you've filled in the gaps." She giggled as he wrapped an arm around her. "I guess being partners, on more than one level, just comes…naturally now."

Cedric nodded, smiling as she looked up at him. "I think that's been the case for a while, my dear." He glanced out the window, noting how high the moon was and how much darker it appeared to be, all signs of it being rather late. "I think I should let you get back to bed now. The last thing I want to do is keep you from sleeping."

"Actually…" The princess shifted a bit, hugging him as she whispered into his ear, "Can you stay with me for a while?" She blushed a bit as he blinked at her. "Just until…I fall asleep?"

He didn't say anything as he studied her for a few moments: her tired eyes, her worried expression, her exhausted stance. He knew the best way to help her out was to offer her everything he could. And if that meant sleeping in a window seat with the temperature just outside the glass being well below freezing, and perhaps even with her hogging the precious heated covers… "Of course, my dear. Anything for you." As she giggled at his words, he lifted one hand and placed it alongside her cheek, offering her a serious stare. "I mean that honestly, Sofia… Anything for you."

She smiled softly as her cheeks tinged pink. "Thank you, Cedric…"

He gathered her into his arms and held her comfortably as she drifted off to sleep, the warmth of the blankets practically luring him into the dreamworld as well. Cedric watched Sofia sleeping soundly, her calm breathing like a rhythmic lullaby that needed no words.

He felt horrible that she'd suffered so much after the incident with Erine, but he'd seen glimpses of her former self recently. He knew she'd slowly start coming back around, and if helping her out like this sped up the process, he'd take it.

Honestly, between worrying about Sofia and worrying about Amber and the baby, Cedric was exhausted. But… "Things will be all right," he murmured, both to himself and to Sofia as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He believed that. He had to.

Historically speaking, things had gone awry and terribly wrong. But futuristically speaking, he was keeping hope that they could finally break the cycle and have the peace and joy they all desired and deserved. And so, he settled down, hope both on his mind and in his heart, and he drifted off to sleep as the soft breathing of his partner lulled him to sleep.

And the night waxed on, the promise of better times ahead still lingering on.

The end