A/N: When coming up with the chapter title, I cackled with glee for a few minutes straight, much to the concern of my family. You can never get enough puns, can you? ;) This is the last chapter! I actually finished a fanfic story for the first time! Yippee! I'm shocked and quite happy! :D Now I must finish Wysteria's Edge, which is giving me some sorry sad looks for leaving it for so long. I am also planning a Wassailia story, but depending on how hard finals will be, we shall see!

Anywho, the sap and fluff are just oozing in this chapter so enjoy! * I own nothing STF*


Chapter Five: Once And Floral

The month flew by, and shortly, Sofia and Cedric proudly viewed the beautiful stalks of sunflowers that bloomed brightly in the secret garden.

"They are quite a sight." Cedric grinned proudly. "I've seen sunflowers dozens of times, but growing them adds a whole new feeling of pride and enjoyment."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Sofia beamed up at him.

"But don't think I'm always going to garden with you when you get your strange urges to do so." The sorcerer harrumphed, poking her nose with his pointy finger

"No promises!" Sofia giggled, swatting at his hand playfully. "I still think you're missing your calling of running the finest flower shop in Enchancia. "You can call it 'Once and Floral Flower Arrangements!' Get it?" She winked at him while he responded with a groan.

"Alright, you asked for it." The sorcerer bent down to snatch the watering can. As his arms moved to splash the auburn-haired princess, he grunted when she quickly grabbed hold of it and, with great aim, shoved the jug upwards, causing the water to flow in the opposite direction for which it was intended and splashing Cedric directly in the face.

Sputtering, the sorcerer wiped his bangs away from his forehead. "You're going to pay for that!" He howled, lunging for her and the watering can.

"You started it!" The young woman shrieked, darting away from him. A chase ensued all around the garden before Cedric finally caught the princess and managed to wrench the can from her grasp.

"Wait!" Sofia cried, holding his arm away as he tried to douse her again. "I call a truce!"

Wheezing, the sorcerer had to catch his breath before responding. There was something he hadn't felt in a long time, and it wasn't the crushing weight in his lungs from lack of inadequate exercise. Sofia was right. The feeling of joy and laughter was slowly but surely returning. With a twinkle in his eye, Cedric nodded his head, "Fine. But don't think I won't get you next time."

"Oh, next time?" Sofia's eyebrows arched. "Didn't you just mumble about not coming to garden with me?"

"Well, perhaps I might be willing to plant some new flowers. Lilies perhaps? We could take them to your father's grave in time for his birthday, and I can also take some to Wormwood's. If- if you wanted to, that is." The sorcerer stammered, bashfully wringing his palms together.

A touched and bittersweet smile graced Sofia's mouth as she reached out to clasp her hands in his. "I would absolutely love that." She let out a small gasp when Cedric suddenly embraced her.

"Sofia," Cedric rested his head right above her ear to whisper, "Thank you for helping me get through this time. I know you told me to stop apologizing, but I have to tell you again how sorry I am for the insensitive words I said. I wish I could promise that you'd never lose someone again, but what I can promise is that I will always stand by your side as you did for me. You haveā€¦ you have no idea how much that meant to me- what it still means to me. Even when I was in despair, you never left my side, and now I know I'm not alone, even though I thought I was. I wish I could say I'm feeling better, but I am feeling, thanks to you, and I have hope that it will get better." Pulling away, Cedric cupped the princess's round face in his hands. "These sunflowers will always remind me of what you taught me, but their brightness will also remind me how you brighten my world every day just by being in it."

Sofia's round eyes brimmed with tears as Cedric leaned in to kiss her forehead. After he opened up, they had long made up from their fight, and he decided not to finish the potion, focusing on getting better day by day. There were still moments when the sorcerer would cry or get teary-eyed over remembering Wormwood; however, she stayed by his side to comfort him and sometimes just be there. What else was a best friend supposed to do, for the princess knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he would do the same thing for her.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Cedric said, reaching inside his vest pocket. He pulled out a page, and Sofia saw that it contained the ingredients and directions for the emotion removal potion.

"What-" She began to ask, but Cedric interrupted her.

"I wanted you to be with me when I did this, and I thought I would wait until we saw our flowers bloom." Unsheathing his wand next, Cedric tapped the page, and a blue flame erupted, burning it into a crisp as the sorcerer let the magical ash fall to the ground.

Staring intently at the grass where the ashes began blowing away into the wind, Cedric murmured, "I kept telling myself how much I needed to take it and why I shouldn't listen to you. I never understood why you made such a big deal about it because I thought it wasn't harming you or me, but now I understand." Inhaling shakily, the sorcerer managed a faint smile. "Emotions feel terrible in the moment of grief, but you knew they also led to healing. If I removed them, I would have never truly healed; I'd only be numbing the pain. Whether you realize it or not, Sofia, you're helping me live because that's why I think we have these feelings. To know how to live and to treasure every memory and feeling we've spent with the people we love."

Grasping his hand again, Sofia fervently replied, "I believe that too."

Hand in hand, they both beamed at each other before gazing up at the cloud-filled sky. The breathtaking view caught Cedric's attention, and he laid down on the grass to watch. He felt Sofia follow suit and they stretched out lazily side by side to view the clouds floating high above them.

After a few minutes of silence, Sofia peeked sideways at Cedric, who was contentedly looking up, his face more serene than she had seen in a long time. Reaching out her hand to squeeze his arm comfortingly, she was stopped by the sorcerer, who gently caught her palm in his hand. Laying her hand over his heart, Cedric rested his own hand on top as they continued to look at the sky.

Sighing wistfully, a lone tear trickled down the sorcerer's cheek. His close friend was dead, and he knew he had a long road of more tearful nights and painful hours. Nevertheless, Cedric knew he would rather go through the hurt than feeling absolutely nothing. Besides, he was not alone. A certain princess who loved gardening and somehow managed to capture his heart with her unwavering loyalty would make sure of that. As he thought of what lay ahead for him, Cedric's eyelids began to grow heavy, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he soon fell away to the most peaceful sleep.

~The End~


The end. :')

A huge, HUGE thank you to my readers and reviewers. I am so grateful for you chicken nuggets. You make writing such a pleasure, and you encourage me to grow! Let me know what you thought of this story, and I am not responsible for any heartbreaking or tear-jerking moments, hehe! :)

I'm going to start working on the new chapter for my main STF fanfic, Wysteria's Edge. I hope you'll check it out if you haven't already! Stay happy and healthy, everyone!