Illuminated by merely the moonlight up above, Cedric grunted, using his strength to row the boat they were currently on forward in this nice river they were sailing on in this nice evening. He had the honor to be invited in one of the Royal Family's vacations in the kingdom of Darssen, a land of music and rhythm and blues. It was the festival of Jazz where lights and music were showcased in parades
And right now with him is no other than Princess Sofia, the girl who vouched for his presence in the trip which he didn't mind at first. But if he had known it would turn out with him doing all this rowing in the river in this evening, he'd refused for sure
And so, that's how he ended up in this situation. The ambient sounds of the water splashing and the paddling kept the silence from completely taking over, and with no one else but the crickets chirping and the company of the princess in this rather calm and solemn boat ride. The Royal Family is just up ahead waiting for them, and surely, he'd expect this to be a walk in the park
"We can take turns, you know" the girl finally spoke which he didn't really need nor appreciate
"I can handle this, Sofia. It's good" Cedric huffed in response as he rowed once again. His arms were beginning to stiffen with the strong resistance of the river water in the evening.
Like before, Cedric is not keen on situations like this. If not for the moonlight up above, it would've been pitch black for sure and everything. But still, it wasn't scary or anything. The river had a calm and solemn feel over it.
Suddenly, a swarm of fireflies illuminated from ahead and formed a pathway with their bulbs making a pretty series of lights from the dark of the evening. Sofia's eyes lit up watching this with her face forming a smile
"Ah-mazing!" she hummed in amazement, turning to Cedric who was watching it with her. He nodded to her in response
"That sure looks pretty" Cedric smiled which Sofia appreciated. It's rather rare to see him like this and she felt glad he was enjoying herself
"Do you know the story behind this river, Mister Ceedric?" she said, sitting across to face him this time "I heard it's very enchanted~" Sofia waved her hands to add emphasis
"I've heard stories about that too... but so far. We ain't see nothin" he responded
"That's because they're still preparing for it"
"Preparing for what?"
Suddenly, a form of music was heard from the water and it sounded like what the kingdom is known for. Rhythm and blues. A slow and gentle form of music that is perfect for relaxation and for setting up the mood. Most especially in romantic setting.
Cedric turned to the water and he couldn't believe his eyes. There were a bunch of turtles riding in crocodiles who were playing the violin made out of twigs and vines, some were playing flutes made out of bamboo shoots and there were birds using their wings as percussions
"Sofia, come look at this quick!" he called out for her and she came to see what he was pointing at. She smiled at this, especially seeing Cedric's face.
His eyes were closed and he was vibing with the music. He looked very happy in that moment.
When he opened his eyes, they were now enveloped by a couple of fireflies, making their boat look bright and colorful. Cedric got even more amazed by this.
He looked ahead and another smile forms on his face "You know, at first I thought this would be a waste of time... but now I understand how wrong I was. And how I could've missed out in all of this had you not invited me" Cedric turned to her look into her bright blue eyes sparkling from the lights as his lips form into a gentle smile
"Thank you, Sofia. I'm happy to be here with you."
In that moment, a sudden series of fireworks was casted into the sky, making all different kinds of colors and shapes which Cedric was impressed of. From that angle, his face was illuminated with all different kinds of colors with him looking up at the fireworks.
As much as how beautiful the sky was, Sofia was too distracted to even gaze at them. Her lips pursed with the pink hue on her cheeks completely taking over her face. Her eyes sparkled with what she was watching right now.
"I see the crystal raindrops fall and the beauty of it all... is when the moon comes shining through" watching him made her heart sing
"to make those raindrops in my mind when I think of you sometime.." A breeze of wind brushes past them as Cedric chuckled with his jet black hair flowing with the wind "And I wanna spend some time with you"
"Just the two of us... we could make it if we try..."
All of a sudden, a quick tug from the boat caused the both of them and Sofia to lose balance, but luckily, Cedric managed to catch her before she could fall into the water
"Careful." He whispered, holding Sofia close to him
"I'll try, hee-hee~" she giggled innocently with a shade of pink slowly enveloping her cheeks
"Hold on to me, we wouldn't want you to be wet when we return back" Cedric joked which garnered a giggle from Sofia
With his arm around her keeping her warm and safe and the music and the colors and fireworks in the sky. It was completely worth the whole week of preparation for sure
Sofia feels so happy she could be in this situation with Cedric right now and with no one else to share it with
"Just the two of us..." she whispered softly with a smile on her face, taking advantage of the opportunity to snuggle close to Cedric
"You and I~"
