Shattered
Summary: After securing the help of Merlin and the Protectors, Cedric makes a dire mistake that could cost his friendship with Sofia. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First.
A/N: I'm not going to give too much away with this one. I'll just let the story speak for itself. 😉 However, brace yourselves…
*Twenty-First Story/Episode 21*
"Imaldrina," Galiviano snapped, getting the exiled princess's attention. "Enough. In case you haven't noticed, we're a bit outnumbered here." He smirked as she slowly began smiling wickedly. "Not much of a fair fight, wouldn't you say? In fact, I think it's time we brought in our…reinforcements."
"You're right, Gal." She glared back at the group. "We'll be back, and we'll even out the odds. If you really think you're going to win this battle, little princess, you've got another thing coming." She laughed loudly and grabbed the former warrior, snapping her fingers and causing them to vanish.
"Ugh!" Sofia groaned in aggravation as she stamped her foot. "I've had about enough of this!"
"Sofia," Vega began calmly, smiling gently toward the teen as she turned to face her, "don't worry. We're going to save them. Perhaps while they're pulling their resources, that would give us a chance to come up with a strategy. I don't think it's a good idea to go marching into a battle without a plan."
"We don't have time, Vega," she sighed, shaking her head. "They're all depending on us. They need us now more than ever. We're all equipped with powers and abilities; if we use them wisely, there's no way we can lose." She frowned as the woman stared after her curiously. "If we're going to win this, we have to fight." That said, she pulled out her wand and felt a burst of power rush through her veins.
"Yes!" Garish agreed, grinning as the others turned toward him. "Princess Sofia is right. If we work together, we can do anything."
"We're all perfectly capable," Greylock agreed, missing the sharp look from the other sorcerer.
"Yeah, Sofia's right," Chrysta enthused as she gently nudged the younger Protector. "Atta girl! We'll save your family in no time!"
Plenty of others were starting to chime in, affirming what Sofia had said. There was only one who had chosen to stay silent on the issue.
Cedric began to breathe a little heavily as he looked around, taking in the sight of all those who'd gathered to help them fight against the villainous duo: Merlin, many of the Protectors, Greylock… And there, front and center before them all, was Princess Sofia of Enchancia, a determined look set on her face—an angry, focused, unbreakable expression. And a rush of fear shot through him as he carefully observed his friend. "S-Sofia."
"Not now, Mr. Cedric," she ordered quickly, gripping her wand in one hand and feeling her own powers welling up in her other hand. "We have a kingdom to save, so we need to be ready to fight."
"No!" he responded nervously, instantly feeling the curious eyes of all the other gathered magic wielders—each wondering the same thing: What was he doing?
Sofia's blue eyes flashed precariously as she whirled to her mentor. "What do you mean, no? Mr. Cedric, my entire family is in that castle! And so is yours, I might add: Ms. Cordelia and Calista… Everyone we know and love is trapped in there, and you're trying to stop us from saving them? What is your problem?!"
"My problem is you!" He gestured frantically as she gasped. "N-Not you, but… Sofia, I don't want you getting hurt or killed on this mission; you're much too young to be leading everyone into a battle… You're only fifteen!"
"In other parts of the world, fifteen-year-olds rule their own kingdoms, have families of their own already, and make their own laws…" She glared dangerously at him. "Mr. Cedric, I love you, but I'm not about to let you hold me back from this. If Princess Imaldrina has it out for me so badly, I say come and get me. And if Galiviano wants a piece of me, that's fine too. But I'm not going to let our kingdom suffer just because you don't want me to get hurt. That's stupid!"
"Not wanting my best friend dead is not stupid!" he retorted, his own voice raised as she marched forward. He gulped and faltered a bit as she stood on a boulder that happened to be situated before him, their eyes in a dead lock, Sofia facing him fully for once as she now matched his height. "I just want—"
"I know what you want," she hissed impatiently, her eyes still narrowed. "You want me to always stay in the background, hoping that someone else will save the day, and I'll get by without a scratch. That's not realistic, Mr. Cedric. If you don't let me fight my own battles now, how will I ever learn to do so later on, when things can (and probably will) get much worse?"
"Sofia…"
"I'm not the same little girl anymore, Mr. Cedric. I don't always need your constant guidance and protection, and I certainly don't need your permission to save our loved ones." She held her ground, even as he appeared to grow a bit disheartened at her words. "I can handle things on my own, but if you want to help… Then you need to listen to what I say for a change. If you're not with me, and if you're not going to support my position on this, then back off."
Cedric was shocked by her outburst and her harsh words, and he felt a little piece of his heart shatter after her confrontation. However, he instantly was reminded of the past summer, when he snapped at her during the whole Kitanya situation. What he was feeling right now was probably similar to what she'd felt at that point… It was obvious that this was a stressful situation (for all of them), and he'd likely make things worse if he went against her wishes or even said anything else. Wordlessly, he nodded once and then lowered his head, stepping away from her as she hopped down from the boulder.
Sofia turned to the others. "Everyone, get ready. Prepare yourselves for battle." She was still every bit a leader as she added, "We have a kingdom to save."
Greylock walked over to Cedric a few minutes later, seeing that his friend was still a bit shaken up by the whole situation. He placed a hand on the other sorcerer's shoulder, frowning as he jumped a bit. "Relax, it's me." He smirked as Cedric turned to him with wide eyes. "Not Princess Sofia. To be honest, I'd be scared of her too."
"I'm not scared of her, Greylock," Cedric quickly corrected with a small grimace. "I'm worried about her. It's what you do when your friend is putting herself in danger."
"Has Sofia ever struck you as weak?"
"Once." He folded his arms. "When I first met her. She was so childish and innocent, and just awestruck by me. I thought she'd for certain be run in by all the royals and their petty ways before long; and if not by them, by me… But she…" He frowned as he noted the smirk on Greylock's face. "She proved me wrong."
"And she'll prove you wrong yet again, Cedric. Your princess has a heart for her kingdom and an intellect that's going to keep her safe."
"That may be, but she's come close to dying before, Greylock… Just this past summer, as a matter of fact." He rubbed his arms nervously. "I couldn't bear to hold her lifeless body in my arms again. That would kill me."
"In case you haven't noticed, you have an entire group of people here to help you this time: magical people with plenty of experience and lots of power. You want to help Sofia; let us help you help her. There's no reason to believe that you're the only one who can keep her safe."
Cedric sighed, nodding. "I know… I just feel like it's my job now, even more so than it was in the past." He glanced toward Sofia, who was gazing off toward her castle, now coated with a thick red haze in addition to the barrier. "She's everything to me, Greylock… She's my best friend."
"Then act like it," the brown-haired sorcerer insisted, snapping Cedric's attention back to him. "Help her out instead of holding her back. Treat her like an equal rather than a child. Sofia's growing up, Cedric." He offered his friend a fleeting smile. "Maybe it's time you do the same." With that, he turned and walked back toward Merlin and the others.
The royal sorcerer sighed heavily, knowing exactly what he had to do.
The end (and to be continued…)
(Next Story/Episode 22: Stronger Together)