Truth Be Told

Summary: When Cedric accidentally spills a truth serum in a bowl of punch at one of the royal family's parties, he's both surprised and entertained by some of the truths that people begin telling each other.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show!

A/N: Truth serums never get old, so I figured I'd take it on. :D And with Cedric at the forefront, it should be interesting! ;) Enjoy!

A/N 2: If you're interested, look up my Wix page (type in "Wix" and "AquaTurquoise" into a search engine) and look at my "Up for Adoption" page. I have four new stories that I'm placing up for adoption, so if anyone would like to take a crack at writing them, by all means. :D Also, more than one person may take on the stories. If you have questions, PM me! :)

A/N 3: (I know. This even surprised me. Haha. First third A/N as far as I know! Lol) I wanted to thank EVERYONE who's reviewed, favorited, and followed any and all of my stories recently. From my old friends to some new people, including jettmanas, S.M.F. (a guest), Delmarnori, and several others. Thank you for all your support. :)

*Story*

"How do I look, Baileywick?" Sofia asked as she twirled once, her new purple and gold dress fanning out around her. She'd worn her hair in a ponytail tonight and fastened some purple flower barrettes in to complete the look.

"You look lovely, Princess Sofia," the steward replied with a smile. "All of you children look nice."

Amber and James had somewhat matching outfits for the occasion. Her dress was gold with olive accents throughout, and she had a matching tiara. James was opposite to a degree: an olive outfit with gold accents here and there.

"Thanks, Baileywick," James enthused with a grin. "Believe it or not, Amber made our outfits."

"Oh, I believe it. It seems you've found a hobby you enjoy, Princess Amber…other than astronomy, of course."

The princess smiled happily. "It's a combination of two of my favorite things, Baileywick: fashion and receiving compliments." She laughed.

"Indeed. Ah, Cedric." The steward looked up toward his younger fellow worker and nodded. "Do they have you working at the party this evening?"

Cedric sighed as he shrugged. "Sort of. King Roland wants me to make the punch bowl 'fancier.' I figured I'd cast a spell to turn it into a punch fountain instead."

"Ooh, that will be neat," Sofia told him kindly, earning a smile from her friend. "I'm sure Dad will like that, Mr. Cedric."

"Well, thank you, Princess." He walked past them into the ballroom as they followed after. "It's all a matter of finding the correct spell." With that, he headed over to the punch bowl.

James grinned as the string quartet their father had hired for the evening began playing an upbeat tempo for practice before the party began. He extended his hands playfully toward his sisters. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure!" Sofia giggled while taking his right hand.

Amber rolled her eyes, taking his left hand and holding onto Sofia's as well. "Why not? Whoa!"

The children laughed as they merrily danced to the music, spinning around the dance floor and having a great time.

Baileywick hummed in approval as he stood next to Cedric, who was busy sorting through his notes to find the appropriate spell. "I wish I had their energy," he admitted with a small smile.

"Don't we all? Ah, here it is." He waved his wand over the punchbowl. "Fontem Liquoris." With that, he was thrilled to see that the punch was now flowing like a normal fountain would. In a word, it looked quite…magical. "Perfect!"

"Nice job, Cedric." Baileywick discretely picked up a clear glass and held it under the fountain, filling the glass with some of the gold substance before sipping it. "Mm, gooseberry. My favorite."

"Better save the rest for the party guests, Baileywick," Cedric advised with a small smirk. "The last thing we need is thirsty guests. And I am not conjuring more."

The steward chuckled and nodded. "For once, I agree. Besides, we have some cider in the kitchen anyway."

"Mr. Cedric, come on!" Sofia called as she and her siblings were still dancing and laughing. "Come dance with us!"

Baileywick smirked as the sorcerer made a face. "Yes, Cedric, go on. Loosen up a bit." With that, he left for the kitchen to finish further preparations.

Cedric shook his head as he folded his arms. "I'd rather sit this one out, thank you. Besides, you three are doing a marvelous job without me, and in case you've forgotten, I don't really dance."

The auburn-haired girl grinned and released her siblings' hands as she hurried over and grabbed her mentor's hands, pulling him onto the dancefloor. "Just one dance?"

Cedric sighed and rolled his eyes skyward before giving the girl a reproachful look. "Very well. One dance, and then I must attend to a few more things before this party begins."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric." She giggled as he twirled her once before carrying on with their somewhat fast-paced dance.

A few minutes later, they decided to cease their dancing since it was close to time for the party to start. As it was, a few people had already started trickling in.

"Mr. Cedric, are you all right?" Sofia asked with a grin. "You look a little flushed."

He chuckled as he dabbed his forehead with a cloth. "Well, a certain princess insisted that I dance with her…" He pocketed the cloth and then pulled out a few vials from his robe before sorting through them. "Hmm, now perhaps I should put an endurance potion on the punch fountain, hmm? Don't want it to end too soon."

Sofia nodded. "I think that's a good idea. And it looks really nice!" She used one of the glasses and got a sip of punch for herself. "Mm, and it tastes good too. Chef Andre really did a great job with this."

Cedric uncapped one of the vials and sniffed it before frowning. "The truth serum? How did that get in here?"

"What do you have truth serum for?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"It's not what it sounds like… All sorcerers have truth serum at some point, and we keep it on standby in case there's a dire necessity for it. I just grabbed the wrong vial… Best to go ahead and put this away." He handed Sofia the endurance potion, which she poured into the punch, before grabbing the cork for his own vial.

"Rex, stop!" James called as he chased after the hyperactive dog.

"How did he get in here?!" Amber yelled as the dog rushed past her, his tail whacking her on the arm.

"It was an accident! Rex! Come here, boy!"

Rex panted excitedly as he hurried straight toward Sofia and Cedric. "Ooh, yummy drink!" he chortled.

"Rex!" Sofia gasped.

Cedric grunted as the dog slammed into him, sending the vial flying. "Ugh, what on earth?" He made a face as the dog licked his cheek a few times. "Sofia, a little help here please?"

She laughed and pulled the dog off of her friend. "Rex, there's some water for you outside," she told him calmly. "Go on."

"Okay!" With that, the dog took off again.

"Ohh… I am not good with dogs," the sorcerer complained as he stood up, brushing off his robe.

"But Rex seemed to like you," Amber said with a small laugh. "Ooh! More guests are arriving! We need to go greet them!" She grabbed James's arm and pulled him away.

"Are you all right, Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked as she handed him the endurance potion, which he put back into his robe.

"I'm quite all right. Thank you. Now I just need to find…" He paused, realizing something pretty serious. "Sofia?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to the truth serum?"

Blue eyes widened as she looked around, realizing the vial was nowhere to be found. She dropped to her knees and looked under the table. No luck. A sharp intake of breath got her to her feet again and she glanced at Cedric. "What is it?"

He pulled the vial from the last place he'd hoped to find it: the punch bowl. "Oh, no…" He looked toward his apprentice. "I need to get some replacement punch quickly before—"

"Welcome, everyone!" Roland announced loudly and cheerfully as the guests poured into the ballroom. "Please make yourselves comfortable, and help yourselves to the refreshments."

With announcements done, people started filing a line and hurrying down the table to get their anticipated snacks.

"Merlin's Mushrooms…" Cedric groaned in dismay as a lady on the other side of the table scooped some of the punch into her glass before walking away. "Sofia, this is not good."

"Well…what can we do?" She moved aside as the line progressed in their direction.

"At this point? Not much." He sighed.

The friends attempted to get people to wait on the punch, perhaps for a new batch, but quite a few just laughed them off or kindly turned them down. Well, no one could say they weren't trying.

At this point, several people, including the king and queen, had taken their own glasses of gooseberry punch. Amber and James had opted out, preferring something from the kitchen instead. Meanwhile, the interesting part was about to begin…

"Darling," a woman with blonde hair cooed to her husband as they stood in a group, speaking to the other royals. "I thought I told you to wear the gray cravat. Why must you always ignore every single thing I say?" She giggled.

The brown-haired man simply smiled kindly in return and stated, "Because your taste in fashion is questionable at best, my love."

The others in the group started laughing as the woman gasped in surprise and the man's eyes widened. Tell him he hadn't said that out loud…

"Wow," Sofia breathed. "That truth serum has started working already."

"Hmm," Cedric replied with a smirk. "Come to think of it, this could be fun." He placed one hand on the girl's back and ushered her away. "Let's see just what sorts of secrets these people are keeping locked away."

She gave him a sardonic look. "Imagine if this had been used on you a few months ago."

He chuckled nervously before shrugging. "Yes, well… That could have been a disaster, actually." He pointed toward another group of people. "Oh, look. Here we go again."

"Did you really think that shade of blue went with that shade of green?" one woman asked while tittering behind her fan. She snapped it shut and shook it at the other woman she was speaking to. "Then again, why am I surprised? Duchess Georgette, your style has always sickened me."

"Oh, Madame Thames," the other woman laughed in response. "You bore me with your overly dramatic stories of your so-called 'travels.' Anyone who actually reads would know you've lifted all of your stories from novels. The only traveling you've done involves getting out of bed in the morning. It's a disgrace!"

A man amongst them scoffed. "You want to talk about a disgrace? I heard Lady Imelda fired her ladies in waiting because she thought they were prettier than she is."

"Well, she's not wrong," another man laughed uproariously, causing the others in the group to cackle all the same.

"Wow, they're really not holding back, are they?" Sofia glanced up toward Cedric.

"Hmm. It appears people hold back quite a bit that they dare not say under normal circumstances." He glanced toward the king and queen, who seemed to be engaging in conversation with another couple. He beckoned Sofia to follow him, which she did.

As they neared, they were able to hear what Roland and Miranda were saying to the other couple.

"Oh, our children are great," Miranda enthused with a bright smile. "Sofia is making high marks in school. Amber and James are flourishing in their new hobbies. I predict great things for their future."

Sofia smiled. Well, at least her mother definitely believed that…

"Did I hear correctly that your daughter is on the flying derby team at Royal Prep?" the other woman asked with a look of interest.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. It's something she enjoys, and she has a lot of interests, so we like to encourage her to explore her options."

"Our Janie was asking about being on the team at her school, but I told her it was far too dangerous. Besides, she sort of goes from one interest to another, so it likely won't last."

"Much like the relationship between our gardener and one of her hand maids," the man beside her chuckled. "It likely won't last."

Roland raised an eyebrow. "You don't say."

"Oh, speaking of which, did you two hear about that scandal in Summersburg? Well, it turns out Prince Leonard and Lady Marguerite were having—"

"Okay, that's enough," Cedric said quickly as he hurriedly pulled Sofia away from the quartet's conversation.

Sofia blinked at him as they stood back from the others at the party. "Why did you pull me away so fast?"

"Because there are some conversations that princesses your age should not be privy to at this point. Let's just…stand aside for a moment. The truth serum should be wearing off in a few minutes. Hopefully the punch diluted it enough to not cause any lasting damage."

The girl sighed as the guests continued chatting and sharing secrets and truths they never intended to leave their mouths. By the time things were starting to return to normal, Sofia couldn't help shaking her head at the looks of horror on many of their faces. "Wow… They look like they just realized they've said something pretty terrible."

Cedric snickered. "In some cases, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Do you really not like my cravat?" the brunette man from earlier whined to his wife. "I paid quite a bit of money for it, you know."

"Oh, darling, I didn't mean it…" The blonde woman secretly crossed her fingers behind her back. "It's…so fashionable. Really."

The patching up continued until eventually, it appeared nothing had even happened. Sometimes some things are better left unsaid…or unspoken of if they do happen to be said.

Meanwhile, Cedric gulped when he caught the eye of Roland. He noticed the king give him a serious look while folding his arms. Oh, Neptune's Nettles…he knew. Sighing, he hung his head, realizing that, yet again, he'd have to plead his case with the king of Enchancia.

Sofia patted his arm comfortingly.

When the party was over and the ballroom had been cleared, Roland summoned Cedric to meet with him in the throne room.

Cedric approached the king carefully, a little nervous as to what he would say. "Y-You called for me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Cedric." He glanced behind his sorcerer, noticing his daughter was right next to him as usual. "Sofia."

"Dad, we can explain."

"No, she had nothing to do with it." Cedric stepped away from the girl so the blame wouldn't be cast on her as well. "It was my fault, Your Majesty."

"What was?"

The sorcerer blinked. "The, uh…the truth serum spilling in the punch?"

Roland paused before laughing.

Cedric frowned in confusion, exchanging glances with Miranda, then Sofia, and then Roland once more. "I'm sorry, King Roland…maybe I missed something, but exactly what is so funny?"

"Cedric, I was just calling you in to tell you that you did a nice job on the enchanted punch…but now that you mention it, that does explain why people were snapping at each other all night." He chuckled a bit more. "Ah… It was the most entertaining party we've had in a while. Now I know why people weren't holding back."

"So, you're not mad?" Sofia asked with a blink.

"Mad? Not at all. Just…don't pour truth serum in the punch next time, Cedric. Once is enough."

Cedric looked rather perplexed yet smiled and sighed in relief. "Yes, Your Majesty. I'll be careful next time. And thank you for the compliment. I truly appreciate it."

"Hmm. I agreed to make things better between us, and what better way to start than to point out the good you've done?" The king nodded gratefully. "You're free to go."

"Thanks, King Roland." Cedric yelped as Sofia pulled him back into the ballroom. "Sofia, what are you doing?"

"I wanted to ask you this in private." She shut the door behind them. "Tell me the truth. If you had sipped any of that truth serum, is there anything you would have told me that I don't already know, or are there secrets you're still keeping?"

The sorcerer's face softened as he smiled gently at her. "I assure you, Sofia, you already know my darkest secret. I'm not keeping anything else from you. I promise."

She observed him for a few moments before smiling in acceptance and nodding. "Okay." She hugged him happily, pleased when he returned the hug. She glanced up at him with a grin. "Will you dance with me again?"

"Again? Wasn't once tonight enough? And why don't you ever ask to dance with anyone else?"

Sofia shrugged simply. "Because they're not you, Mr. Cedric."

He chuckled before rolling his eyes. "Once more, and then I need to call it a night."

She giggled as the string quartet, still positioned in the corner of the room, began playing a new upbeat song. "Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric," she laughed, her words echoing from a few hours ago as she clasped his hands with hers. And with that, the two friends began their final dance of the evening as the moon smiled through the window.

The end