Author's Note: Another double chapter. Not super thrilled with the first half, but it was the last (and best) of several drafts, and eventually I just had to admit that it was as good as it would get. I think some of you will be really happy with 2 characters who make appearances during the party. Also, comments are bugged from my trying to condense the older chapters. I'm hoping using names instead of numbers will help, but I'm not sure. If you can't comment and REALLY want to tell me sobering, feel free to message me or take advantage of my tumblr.

"Is this what your sister stole you away for?" Cedric asked, eyeing his glass of punch warily. Sofia finished off her own glass of the red liquid before answering.

"Yes, she's just in love with the stuff. She's planning to ask our sorcerer to make it at our next event. She says every palace will have it for parties, soon." Sofia replied, pouring herself another glass. Cedric stifled a groan. Of course she's going to force me to copy this. He thought. He lifted the glass to his mouth, noting that Sofia had been right about it tickling. After his first sip, he did have to admit that it was very good.

"So... You actually met Merlin?" He asked Sofia, pretending this was new information to him.

"Oh, I didn't get to tell you about my adventure, yet! It was actually the second time I've met him, but that's not the important part." She began to chat his ear off about the festival, and Cedric was surprised by how easy it was to earnestly listen to and enjoy her story, despite having just lived all of it. He especially liked the part where she gushed over the dress he had bought her, describing the garment in amazing detail.

"You must see it sometime, Dax. It's the most beautiful dress ever made!" She bubbled, leaving out the part about being able to put it on independently so he wouldn't think less of her for not being able to do so with all of her clothing. Cedric pondered her words, high praise from a princess who had a gown closet as big as some people's houses. She went on with her story. Soon, she was describing the contest.

"I was so scared when I froze Mr Ceedric. I knew I could do the freezing part. It was the unfreezing that I wasn't so sure about. You see, I'd never tried the counter-spell on a person before." She explained, going on to tell him about the hush that fell upon the crowd as she gathered her courage and attempted the spell.

"And then, he was back. He stood up from the table, and he was so happy the trick had gone well that he lifted me up and spun me around right there on the stage!" As she recounted this action, she took his hands in hers, pulling him around in circles with her, her good mood becoming quite infectious. When she ended the motion, she fell into his arms, dizzyness overtaking her slightly. He held her at first, but his senses soon returned and he pulled himself away.

"I'm glad you had a good time, Sofia." Cedric commented stiffly. They stood and drank their punch quietly for a while. Just as Cedric was taking his last sip, Amber marched over to them.

"I wasn't going to say this when you were with my mother, but I hope you're happy with yourself. Thanks to you, my brother is missing his best friend's birthday party!" She blew up at Cedric, standing on her toes so that she could be eye-to-eye with the older boy, her angry green eyes flaring, voice full of venom.

"Amber, wait-" Sofia began, but Cedric held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm sorry you're upset with me, Princess Amber, and I shouldn't have hit your brother, but you heard the things he said to me." He tried to explain. I'm not sorry James didn't get to come to the party, though. He added to himself.

"Ambe-" Sofia tried again, but this time Amber stopped her.

"What he said to you doesn't change anything. Why do you get to be here when he doesn't? It's not fair! You hit him first. He was just defending himself." She said, not willing to back down.

Cedric noticed that the confrontation was starting to draw attention from the people around them. He tried to think of a way to diffuse the blonde princess's anger, but came up blank. Sofia nudged Cedric backwards and moved so she was between them, determined to be heard.

"Amber, I know how you feel. I'm really sad that James can't be here, too. But they both were fighting, and Dad was the one who decided he couldn't come. Dax said he was sorry, and staying angry at him doesn't change anything." Sofia did her best to mend the rift between her friend and her sister. Amber hesitated, her eyes angrily shifting between Sofia and the sorcerer.

"Fine, I've had my say, for now. But this isn't over." Amber said, huffing away from the pair. Sofia tried to turn back to her friend, only to find him storming off in the other direction, fists curled at his sides. When she tried to follow him, he broke off into a run, his longer legs allowing him to easily outstride the princess. Soon, Sofia lost sight of him completely.

When Sofia reached the great hall, she glanced back in the direction of the ballroom, wondering if it was really okay to disappear from the party like that. With a sigh, she turned back to look for her friend, but she couldn't find any trace of him.

"Dax!" She called, heading down a nearby hallway. She didn't really expect an answer, but still frowned at the silence. She walked until the corridor turned into another one, then another.

"Dax! Where are you?" She tried again. She was about to give up and head back to the party when she realized with a start that she didn't know the way back. She ran down one path, following it around a corner, only to find it splintered into three more. She picked one and rushed down it. After a few more minutes of running, she hit a dead end and threw herself down on the floor in frustration.

A slight shuffling sound behind her caught her attention. Glancing in that direction, she caught sight of her friend scrambling to his feet. He had been sitting in an alcove, which afforded him cover as she barreled down the hallway, but didn't protect him from her gaze at this angle. His wide eyes shifted nervously down the hallway behind them, and she realized that he was considering running off again.

"Why did you leave like that, Dax?" She asked him quietly.

"Nobody wants me at that party." He replied matter-of-factly, trying to hide the bitterness from his voice and keeping his eyes trained on his exit route.

"I want you here. I asked you to come, didn't I?" Sofia insisted, lifting herself to her feet so she could catch him if he ran off again.

"You were just being polite. You're nice to everyone all the time. It doesn't mean anything." He muttered.

Cedric tried hard to stop the words spilling out of his mouth. They'd spent the whole day together, and then she'd blathered on about it to Dax as if it was the best thing that ever happened to her. She insisted to everyone that he was her best friend. So why do I feel like this? He wondered. Before he even noticed her approaching, her hands were on his arm.

"No, Dax. I asked you here because I wanted you to come. I like you, and I want to get to know you better." Sofia told her friend, feeling herself blush as she spoke. Cedric shook his head, prying her hands off of him.

"James is the one you really wanted to be with. You said so yourself." Cedric sulked. Sofia furrowed her brow at him in confusion, not sure what one thing had to do with the other.

"Of course I wanted him to be here. He's my brother. We were supposed to spend some time together, and Zandar is his best friend. But that doesn't mean I don't want you here." Sofia tried to reassure her friend. Cedric scowled at the princess, angry that she was still hiding her feelings about James from him, alongside that other emotion he still refused to identify.

"I don't want to be your consolation prize, Sofia." He blurted out, his eyes turning quickly downwards, examining his gloved hands. He hadn't really meant to say it, and now the words hung palpably in front of him, leaving him to wish he could go back to before he ever spoke them. What is wrong with me? He wondered, desperate to make sense of the mess of emotions inside of him.

As Cedric the Sensational, he had felt an almost paternal pride in the girl, and wished to protect her. But as Dax, everything was different. He realized that Sofia had been speaking and he'd missed it.

"What did you say?" He asked, now adding guilt for not listening to his growing bundle of emotional turmoil.

"Do you... like me?" Sofia asked him. He could hear in her voice that she was asking to confirm her suspicions and not because she was merely hoping he did. His face burned red as he struggled to push out the words that threatened to stick in his throat.

"I... think we... could be fri-friends." He stammered out. Looking back to Sofia, her face was unreadable, an oddity for a girl who usually wore her heart on her sleeve. He watched her bite her lip, pondering his reply.

"Let's go back to the party." She finally said. Cedric wondered if her voice had really cracked slightly, or if he had imagined it.

"Dance with me?" Sofia asked, offering her hand to her companion.

"I don't dance." Cedric insisted, staring at her hand like it was a snake that would bite him. Despite having come back to the party over a half hour ago, he was still a mess inside, and he rather doubted that dancing with Sofia would do anything to ease his confusion.

"A prince who can't dance?" Sofia questioned skeptically, raising her eyebrow, leading Cedric to wonder just when she had started imitating his quirks.

"I can, I just don't like to." He confessed stiffly, hoping that would be the end of the discussion.

"I don't believe you." Sofia challenged, giving him a mischievous grin. Cedric scoffed.

"About which part?" He demanded.

"All of it. Either you really can't dance and would like to, or you can and would still like to, but something else is keeping you from it." She studied him intently, trying to discern which of her theories were true.

"The end result is the same." He brushed her comment off, even though her assessment was accurate enough to be spooky.

"Yes. If you can't dance, I'll be happy to teach you. If you can, then I insist you come with me." She smiled widely, somehow sure that she had won. His defeated sigh confirmed her victory.

"Only one dance, Sofia." He warned, taking her hand and leading her to the floor. Sofia was prepared to show him what to do, but was pleasantly surprised to find that he did already know, after all. They stood at the ready until the music started, then began to waltz across the floor.

It was bittersweet that James wasn't present, since he always sought her out for the first dance, but she rather enjoyed dancing with Dax, so she focused on the current moment, instead.

"You're an amazing dancer." She complimented him sincerely, watching as the corners of his mouth tipped upwards at her words. It was a little disconcerting, being so close to Sofia while juggling so many contradictory thoughts about their friendship, but compliments from her never failed to make him feel better, no matter how old he was.

As they waltzed, Cedric noticed Princess Amber shooting him death stares from the side of the room. Guess she's not planning our wedding anymore. He mused, remembering what Sofia had told him that day in the magic classroom.

"Do you suppose your sister will ever forgive me?" Cedric questioned, still watching the blonde princess. He still felt he owed the girl a favor for defending him in the infirmary, after all. Sofia followed his gaze to her sibling.

"Eventually. James may not, though." Sofia responded quietly.

Cedric didn't particularly care if he was ever on good terms with James again, but he kept quiet about that. He turned his attention back to Sofia. It took a little extra concentration to dance well in the body of a lanky eleven year old, but he thought he was managing alright, and he was actually enjoying this, allowing himself to get caught up in the moment.

The music stopped, and Cedric quickly retreated back to the sidelines despite Sofia's protests. When she stopped pestering him from behind, he turned to find her receiving an invitation from a prince he recognized from classes, though it took him a minute to recall that the boy's name was Hugo. Sofia darted her eyes back to Cedric, who did his best to appear disinterested, then accepted the offer.

Looking through the crowd, he found that the older princess of Enchancia was also dancing, along with just about everyone else in attendance. With nothing else to do, he stood on the sidelines and watched Sofia dance. He couldn't help but notice how well they danced together, like they had spent a decent amount of time doing this before today.

When a second prince, one he didn't recognize from Royal Prep, came and asked Sofia to dance, Cedric watched the girl laugh, covering her mouth to keep from making an unseemly amount of noise as she graciously accepted his invitation by embracing him tightly.

Cedric studied this new partner as he led Sofia, who was now wrapped cozily around his arm, to the floor. The prince was copper-toned, and his shaggy black hair hung in his face and fell low on his neck. He wore a purple suit with gold embellishments and a thick red sash. It was clear that Sofia not only knew him, but was excited to see him there.

Cedric watched as they chatted away with a familiarity that caused those troublesome feelings from earlier to resurface hard. The cognizant part of him chided himself for being ridiculous, and he finally pried himself away from the scene to get some more of the bubbly punch.

As Cedric approached the table, he spotted another familiar face, though he couldn't for the life of him remember who she was, other than that she was in the Sofia's class.

"Hello." Cedric greeted her politely. He wasn't usually one for small talk, but it beat standing around watching Sofia and the mystery prince.

"Oh, um... Hi... D-Dax." The princess stammered out, her pale face turning beet red beneath her thick black bangs. Cedric had hoped she'd give him more to work with, and unsure what to say next, he stood awkwardly for a minute before pouring his punch.

"You don't like to dance, either?" Cedric finally asked her before taking a sip of his drink.

"Um, no... I mean yes, I like to... I love dancing, actually. I just... No one ever asks me." She stuttered through the explanation, staring at the floor as she spoke. Cedric felt an uncharacteristic pang of sympathy, thinking back to school dances spent alone, ones he would have skipped if his mother wasn't so excited to see him go.

"I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Cedric inquired, feeling a little embarrassed that he didn't already know it.

"Princess Vivian, of Z-Zumaria." She replied, slightly more at ease with this simple question. Cedric bowed deeply and offered his hand.

"Princess Vivian, would you honor me with a dance?" Cedric asked as formally as he could muster, glancing back up and flashing her the charming grin he once reserved for trying to con Sofia out of her amulet.

"Really?" Vivian practically squealed out. When Cedric nodded, she sucked in a deep breath.

"I-I mean, yes." She answered more quietly, accepting his hand and letting him lead her to the floor. Though it occurred to him that he'd have a better view from here, Cedric made sure to focus on his current partner and not Sofia, intent on giving the raven-haired princess a nice dance.

"You're really good at this." Cedric said to get conversation moving again. His partner blushed again.

"Thank you, so are you. Especially for someone who doesn't like to dance." She returned the sentiment, clearly starting to warm to the situation.

"I'll tell you a secret. I rather enjoy dancing. I do it alone all the time." He confided in his partner.

"Then why do you pretend to hate it?" She prodded gently.

"When I was... at my old school, nobody ever wanted to dance with me, either." He frowned slightly at the memories, despite the good time he was having with Vivian.

"I find that hard to believe. I bet every girl here wants to dance with you, Dax." Vivian commented, a hint of what sounded like adoration in her voice.

"I don't recognize this piece." Cedric admitted, listening intently to the song.

"That's because it's fairly new. It's part of 'Almack's Quadrilles'." Vivian told him. Cedric was genuinely impressed.

"You like music, then?" He mused, twirling her around at what seemed to be the appropriate moment for the unfamiliar tune. The princess nodded.

"I do. I play a lot of instruments, but mostly the mandolin." She answered with the first smile that Cedric had seen since he approached her.

"That's a lovely instrument. I play the piano." He confessed, not used to volunteering the fact.

"I thought so. You have the fingers for it." Vivian replied, glancing down at their entwined hands. They talked about music for a while longer, so engrossed in the conversation that Cedric missed when one song ended and the next began.

"I have a pet dragon." Vivian changed topics once they exhausted the old one and realized the music had changed. Cedric almost told her about his familiar but stalled, having the good sense to recognize that it was enough information to give his identity away if it somehow got back to Sofia.

"What's your dragon's name?" He asked instead.

"Crackle." Vivian answered, and Cedric barely managed not to look shocked. That's the dragon that came to my tower with Sofia. He thought to himself.

"I wish I had a pet." He replied, channeling how he felt before he had Wormwood.

"What kind of pet would you have?" Vivian asked as they spun back to their starting position yet again. Cedric pondered what he would have if not a raven.

"I'm actually not sure. Something unique. And loyal, but independent. I like animals that fly." He finally supplied the answer. Vivian smiled at him again, letting out a small giggle, and Cedric quirked his eyebrow.

"Why is that funny?" He questioned lightly.

"You just described Crackle." She informed him, laughing again. Cedric joined her this time.

"Maybe something a little less fiery, though. I come close enough to burning my chambers down without help." He quipped, gaining a curious glance from his partner.

"I mess up my potions a lot." He offered the explanation with a small amount of trepidation. Vivian simply nodded.

"You seem to be really good with spells, though. I have a hard time with sorcery stuff." She confessed quietly. This time, they noticed when the song ended.

"Thank you." Vivian said, letting go of Cedric to head back to the side of the room. With nothing else to do, and finding their conversation surprisingly enjoyable, he followed.

"Your welcome, but it wasn't really a big deal." He muttered as they walked.

"No, it was. Asking me to dance was great on its own, but then you actually paid attention to me. I had a really nice time." She was blushing furiously, but Cedric noticed that her stutter had vanished.

"I had fun, too. You're really easy to talk to." He told the princess sincerely.

"I wasn't always. Before Sofia, I would have just run away when you said hello to me." She informed him. At the mention of her name, Cedric couldn't help but scan the crowd, landing his gaze on Sofia and the strange prince, who were dancing far too close to be proper in his opinion. Vivian followed his eyes, smiling as she watched her friend dance. "She has this strange way of bringing out the best in everyone around her." She continued, and Cedric nodded absently.

"Yes, I suppose she does." He muttered.

Author's Note: Got the idea to write a scene with kid!Cedric and Vivian, and just ran with it. I feel like these two could totally get along well, if they every really got to interact in universe.