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He frowned when he stepped into Cedric’s workshop and found the sorcerer missing. He looked around, checking to see if perhaps Cedric was downstairs or up in the rafters. When this proved fruitless, Baileywick went back onto the main floor, frowning as he placed his hands on his hips.
The sound of fluttering made him look up. Rosemary had just arrived, sitting on the windowsill. The magpie shook herself off, scattering snow about before she saw Baileywick and perked up. “Baileywick!” she cried, flying over to sit on his shoulder. She nuzzled her head against his cheek in greeting.
“Rosemary, where in the Ever Realm is Cedric?” he asked. “It’s already dark out and it’s snowing!”
“He’s outside,” she said.
“Outside?” he asked.
“Yeah!”
“In the dark and the cold snow?”
The magpie nodded her head. “He said he likes when it first starts to snow. He’s out in one of the open fields watching it come down.”
“It’s freezing out there,” Baileywick said. He sighed when the magpie could only shrug in response. “That man is going to be the death of me,” he murmured.
“But you love him anyway,” she said with a knowing look.
He laughed, scratching under the magpie’s beak as he nodded. “I do,” he agreed.
***
Cedric had used a spell to spread a warm quilt out before sitting down earlier in the day. He could feel that it was going to snow shortly and he wished to be ready for it. He sat down and waited, leaning back on the palms of his hands as he watched the sky.
The royal sorcerer had always enjoyed Winter out of the four seasons. Spring made him miserable with his allergies, Summer was far too hot and always burned his nose, and Fall was just too wet and awkward for him. Winter was steady, cold, and beautiful.
And in the Winter there was snow. Cedric had enjoyed playing in it when he was a child, making snow people with his sister or having a snowball fight with the local children beside Roland. These games stopped after the Incident, leaving him to build snow people alone or with his mother and avoiding snowballs that were thrown perhaps a little too hard at him.
((There was one time when someone threw a snowball with a rock inside of it at him. The only comfort he had was that Roland and Cordelia had not been the ones to throw it. Roland had been the one to comfort him while Cordelia ran to get an adult. Cedric’s mother had nearly burned Dunwiddie down to ashes when she saw the mark on his cheek. It had taken his father several hours to calm her down and protect the village.))
Cedric smiled as the first flakes started to come down. He sat up, hugging his knees as he watched them land on the grass. Snow was so fragile and yet there was an underlying strength to it too. People died if they were not properly prepared for it. He had also heard of people collecting the snow and waiting for it to melt, using it as a source of water if none could be found.
He held out his hand and watched as several flakes landed on his palm and melted into his glove. He remembered making plans to have all of his royal celebrations take place in Winter once he became king. He would be as cold as his favorite season and rule Enchancia with an iron fist.
The thought made him snort now. He watched as the ground around him changed from grassy green to undisturbed white. Fresh snow that had yet to have anything step on it always amazed him. It had a sparkle to it that reminded him of crystals.
“You and Roland have absolutely no concept of protecting yourselves in cold weather.” Baileywick sat down beside Cedric on the quilt, huffing as he looked at the other’s attire. “Fingerless gloves in Winter? Really?” The steward was dressed for warmth; a thick coat, a large woolen cap, a thick scarf tied around his neck, and mittens on his hands.
“You look as if you’re dressed for a snowstorm!” Cedric laughed.
The other snorted, reaching into his coat to produce a metal vacuum flask. “I will not be the one helping you when your fingers and nose fall off from frostbite,” he declared.
“Not even to eat?” Cedric asked.
“Not even to eat,” Baileywick promised. He twisted the cap off of the bottle and poured some of the thick and hot contents into the cap turned mug before offering it to Cedric. “You can ask Rosemary to feed you,” he said. “She can chew up your food and spit it in your mouth like a baby bird for the rest of your life.”
Cedric took the cup, holding it between the palms of his hands as he looked inside. “Hot chocolate,” he hummed, happily manifesting a few marshmallows to drop into the cup. He then added a few to Baileywick’s flask, giving him a look. “Even though you won’t help feed me!” he sniffed.
“Not even a little bit,” he agreed with a smirk. He watched as Cedric took a careful sip and he held back a laugh as he finally drank from the flask.
“There’s alcohol in here!” Cedric said.
“Brandy to be specific,” he said with a nod. “If you insist on making me sit out here in the snow then I am going to at least be tipsy while doing it.”
He giggled, shaking his head as he took another sip. “You don’t have to sit out here with me,” he said.
“I want to,” he countered. “Why? Are you trying to chase me away now?” he teased.
Cedric rested his head on Baileywick’s shoulder. “No, I enjoy your company,” he said.
The older man hummed, tilting his head to rest it against Cedric’s. “I suppose I tolerate yours,” he said.
The two laughed and Cedric drew his wand to cast a spell around them. His wand started to glow a soft golden color, surrounding them in a comfortable warmth as it continued to snow around them.
“I love the snow,” Cedric whispered.
“I do too,” Baileywick agreed. “When I’m not in it and can just look at it,” he added.
They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the field become covered in fresh snow.