EverRealm

Faith, Trust, Flying Rocks

Elora woke up feeling something warm next to her. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Cedric, who was still sleeping. His face looked peaceful, so different from his usual worried expression. The morning light filtered through the leaves, casting a golden glow across his features.

Elora carefully shifted, trying not to wake him. Cedric mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and turned slightly, his arm accidentally draping across her waist. She froze, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"Merlin's mushrooms," she whispered to herself, unsure whether to move or stay put. Should she wake him? Slip away?

The weight of his arm was comforting in a strange way, and for a moment, Elora found herself studying the lines of his face. The tension that usually creased his brow was absent, making him look years younger.

"Cedric?" she whispered, not sure if she actually wanted him to wake up.

Cedric stirred, his eyes fluttering open. For a moment, he looked confused, the haze of sleep still clouding his vision, then his eyes met hers and grew wide with realization.

"Poseidon's pumpkins!" He bolted upright so quickly he nearly toppled backward. "I—we—this isn't—" His hands flew to his rumpled robe, frantically smoothing invisible wrinkles as panic overtook his features.

"Oh! I—we—" he stammered, quickly sitting up and straightening his robe.

Elora couldn't help but laugh at his flustered state. "Relax, Cedric. We both dozed off. We were up pretty late last night talking."

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, trying to regain his composure. The morning sun caught his worried eyes, turning them an amber color Elora hadn't noticed before.

"It's not proper," he muttered, his voice cracking slightly. "What would Princess Sofia think if she—"

"She'd probably think we fell asleep talking about magic," Elora interjected with a gentle smile. "Which is exactly what happened." She reached out hesitantly, then patted his hand. "Your reputation remains intact, Royal Sorcerer."

Cedric seemed to relax slightly at her touch, though his cheeks remained flushed. "Well, yes, I suppose you're right," he conceded, adjusting his bow tie with shaky fingers.

"I don't know why you're acting so flustered. Besides," Elora added, stretching her arms above her head, "I haven't slept that well since... well, since I can remember, which admittedly isn't saying much."

A soft caw from above announced Koa's awakening. The crow fluttered down to a lower branch, eyeing them with what Elora could swear was amusement.

"Good morning to you too," she said to the bird, grateful for the distraction.

Nearby, Miri stirred in her sleep, and Sofia's eyes blinked open. Clover, who had been curled up near Sofia, twitched his nose and stretched his small paws.

Sofia sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She smiled warmly at Elora and Cedric, but her eyes held questions she was too polite to voice.

"Good morning, Mr. Cedric, Elora," Sofia said cheerfully. "Did you both sleep well?"

"Splendidly!" Cedric replied, his voice unnaturally high. "Absolutely normal sleeping arrangements all around!"

Elora bit her lip to keep from laughing again. "The forest floor is surprisingly comfortable," she offered, coming to Cedric's rescue.

As they gathered their things, Elora caught Cedric stealing a glance at her. When their eyes met, he quickly looked away, but not before she noticed the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.