Chapter Five; Awake

Cedric made his way to Sofia's room without incident, which was a miracle since he was so tired he could barely walk straight. He had traveled this route so many times in the past week that he could probably do it in his sleep. He frowned and shook his head just to make sure he was awake. This wasn't the time to be falling asleep.

In Sofia's room, he closed the door behind him and started making his way toward the bed. Suddenly, his foot caught the edge of the rug causing him to stumble and nearly drop the precious potion. Thankfully, he managed to catch his balance in time. With a huge sigh of relief, he reached the bedside and placed the vial safely on the nightstand before all but collapsing onto the chair that had been left there for anyone who wanted to spend time with the sleeping princess.

For a moment, he just sat there watching her. Sofia had been changed into a light purple nightgown earlier that week to make her more comfortable. Amber came every day and brushed her sister's hair. Sofia looked lovely as she slept. But Cedric longed to see her beautiful blue eyes. He wanted to see that smile that was so full of warmth. He wanted to hear her voice again…

Moving forward, he took the vial from the nightstand and pulled off the stopper. Standing up, he slipped one arm under the girl's neck tilting her head upward. Gently prying her mouth open with one finger, he held the vial to her lips. When the potion was gone, he laid her head back down, set the vial aside, and stood there waiting.

Nothing happened.

Cedric could feel his heart breaking. He reached out and took one of her hands in both of his.

"Please, my dear, you must wake up," he pleaded. "The kingdom needs you. And… and I… I need you…"

Cedric didn't know what made him do it. Perhaps it was one last desperate attempt to wake her. Perhaps he thought he would never get the chance to do it. Whatever the case, he leaned down and kissed her lips, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. When he stood up again, a wave of sheer exhaustion came over him and his knees gave way. He fell forward, his head landing on the mattress beside her.

As he drifted off he murmured, "I love you."

Cedric didn't see the storm cease outside the window. The rain stopped and the clouds dissipated. A beautiful full moon was now shining over the kingdom accompanied by thousands of twinkling stars.

In Sofia's room, a ray of silver moonlight shone through the window bathing the room in a gentle glow. The princess's head turned from side to side as she began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open. At first, she was confused about where she was. Looking around, she saw her familiar window seat. Then she saw her vanity. She was in her room. She rose on her elbows. And that's when she saw the familiar head of black hair with gray bangs on the mattress beside her.

"Oh, Cedric," she whispered, reaching out a hand and running her fingers through his silky hair.

Cedric groaned tiredly as he felt someone touching his hair. Using his hands, he pushed himself up off the mattress while struggling to open his eyes. When he finally managed to get them open, he saw that Sofia was awake. She was smiling warmly; her big blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at him.

"Sofia…" he whispered, crawling onto the bed as she moved over so he could lie down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I thought I'd lost you. Oh, Sofia, I…"

When he trailed off, she pulled away slightly and looked at him, only to find that he had fallen asleep on her pillow. With a giggle, she leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you, Cedric the Great," she murmured as she snuggled close to him again.

…

A little later, Miranda made her way to Sofia's room to check on her daughter before heading to bed. Pushing the door open, she gasped in surprise. Sofia was sitting up in bed reading a book by the light of a candle on her nightstand. Beside her, covered by a blanket, Cedric was fast asleep.

When she saw her mother Sofia smiled but shook her head, holding a finger to her lips.

The queen smiled broadly.

Just then, Roland walked up behind his wife and peered inside the room. "Oh, good. She's awake." He then frowned. "But why is Cedric sleeping on her bed?"

"Oh, Rollie, let him be," Miranda said gently as she led him away down the hall. "He's been working so hard this past week. He's exhausted."

Roland nodded thoughtfully. "I think he deserves a week's vacation. Now come on. Let's tell everyone the good news."

…

In Cedric's workshop, a beam of moonlight from the window was shining directly on the book of Rare Cures which was still open where the sorcerer had left it. At the bottom of the ingredient list three words were now visible.

True Love's Kiss…

A/N: Thanks for reading. I know this concept has been used a few times, but I wanted to share my version. I hope you liked it. Thank you for all the reviews. They meant a lot.