Here we go my friends. Please please please let me know what you think!
Inspiration Song:
Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
It felt like a night for dark thoughts and deeds. A chill had gathered in the air over the last few weeks, crisping the leaves and browning the grass. A breeze caught in the mostly bare branches knocking the naked wood together in an otherworldly rattle. If one believed in such things they would say it was a night for magic, for rituals of old. A time for the spirits.
It was dark, the moon barely a sliver in the cool autumn sky. The brightest light came from the bonfire that illuminated the palace courtyard an otherworldly shade of green. She had begged him to assist her in enchanting the flames for her small gathering. She needn't have pleaded with him, it had been long since he could deny her anything. Cedric smiled down at the scene from his perch on the balcony of his lightless tower. He leaned languorously on the stone railing watching Sofia and her gaggle of friends tell dark tales and roast marshmallows over the juniper flames.
Over the years Cedric's tentative acceptance of the new Princess had blossomed, turned around and reimagined itself into a friendship he had never hoped to have acquired. She was truly the light in his otherwise lonely and unremarkable existence. Her impact on his life had been nothing short of monumental. Long gone was the bumbling would be King who couldn't perform simple spells without failure. Her easy nature had wormed its way into every aspect of his life without him really noticing; until he had discovered her happiness was nearly synonymous with his own.
He could remember the day when he had felt a sort of mental block leave him. It had been Sofia's 12th birthday and he had been nervously preparing a spell to make the early spring gardens bloom on command for the Princess and her hundreds of guests. He had hidden in a corner in the grand ballroom behind a heavy curtain and was silently cursing himself for the failure he was sure would come when he attempted the spell. So, lost in his internal misery that he had not heard her approach.
"Mr Cedric?" Her whispered words were hesitant.
"Oh, yes, what is it, Princess Sofia?" His distraction barely allowing him to concentrate on the young royal.
"Don't be afraid. You are going to be sensational tonight, like always, I just know it." She caught him in a quick embrace and then flounced back into the din of the crowd.
He gaped at her retreating form. Such a young thing, so innocent to the cruelties of the world. But her total faith in his had left him speechless. This sweet village girl, turned royalty, had sought him out during a practical festival in her honor to give him a pep talk. Uncertainty and self-loathing melted away. He did not deserve her loyalty but from this moment forward he would never neglect it again. He strode confidently into the garden and at the King's command had transformed the barren landscape into a forest of blooms. She had smiled at him while gathering fragrant lilac blossoms and he found himself smiling back.
He found that he enjoyed mentoring the Princess. She showed more promise at sorcery than many her age did. Slowly through the years her talent grew. Her prowess was at charms, small magic, but spectacular non-the less. Her endless enthusiasm at his craft had thawed his fickle soul and he soon began to study in earnest as he once had at Hexly Hall. She had reawakened his love of the more arcane magic. His strength in Enerkinesis soon became apparent and he was slowly abandoning his wand for runic magic. While his family wand was still needed for his showier spells he found that he was more adept at the subtle power alchemy provided.
She had been on the cusp of her 18th birthday when she had fully charmed her first inanimate object. She squealed with delight as the chipped tea cup bounded around the room in an attempt at dancing. She had thrown her arms around him and for the first time, instead of pushing her away he allowed his arms to softly wind around her waist. They stood there quietly for some time, the only sounds in the tower were the clinks of the teacup-come-to-life bouncing off the stone floor. Her head was tucked comfortably beneath his chin and he rested his cheek upon her silken hair. He breathed in her scent and found himself wistfully imagining a future that could never be.
When he finally did release her, she looked up at him with wide questioning eyes, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. In a desperate attempt to kill the strange quality the atmosphere in the room he had then patted her on the shoulder in paternal sort of way and quickly made excuses for her to leave. Much to do you know, no time for indulging here any longer. She had left, but not before glancing at him one last time over her shoulder before leaving the tower. Her penetrating gaze sent ripples through his body that he knew he would not soon forget. He had woken abruptly the next few nights from dreams that twisted his heart and left him aching in a way that was not fatherly in the slightest.
He scowled slightly at the memories. He should not, no, would not besmirch his only friend with such depraved thoughts. Being 10 years her senior and a servant of her father's realm were reason enough not to entertain such fantasies. Where she was kind, he was cruel. She was selfless and thoughtful where he leaned toward narcissism and greed. Except of course, when it came to her. He had long since given up the notion of stealing Roland's crown. While his skills were most certainly now developed enough for the task, he would never do anything intentionally, that would cause Sofia distress. No, her amulet was safely nestled against her chest, where it belonged. And he would see to it that it remained there. And with that he had settled into his most unspectacular life with more contentment that he had ever thought he could muster.
She had invited him to the festivities below, but he had declined, as he did most of her social invitations. He could spend entire days with Sofia without ever tiring of her presence. But he could not say the same of her vapid little Princess friends. And there did seem to be plenty of them in the courtyard this evening. Even Princess Amber had made the trek away from Tangu to attend tonight. Her wedding this last summer to the crown prince Zandar had been a display of decadence the likes of which would unlikely to be seen again. He had accompanied the royal family and a bevy of other servants to the festivities to assist with preparations. To his great chagrin he had been assigned to nothing more than some of the more fantastical decorations that Princess Amber had come up with.
While his skill had increased exponentially over the years the respect from his employers had not. He had finished his tasks in a matter of hours and found himself annoyed that he could not have been left to his own devices back at home. His only joy that the circus of the young royal's nuptials had provided was a few stolen hours of companionship with Sofia. The day of the actual ceremony had been difficult. Princess Amber had insisted on things being as traditionally Tanguian as possible which meant a change of wardrobe for all in attendance from Enchancia. While he didn't particularly mind the lose fitting clothing the sight of Sofia in her midriff baring silk ensemble had been enough to excuse himself early from the festivities and take a long cold shower.
All the girls below were dressed tonight in honor of the season. Halloween was a meager 3 days away and enchantment in the air was palpable. Most wore a combination of black or orange, a nod to the theme of the evening. But not her. Her simple dress of emerald hung closely to her curves and gave her the appearance of a pagan goddess. Her hair had grown to her waist through the years and she continued to prefer wearing it loose and unfettered. Her only adornment was the purple jewel that hung between her breasts. She was breathtaking. She favored her mother in almost all ways but coloring. Where Queen Miranda was dusky and bronzed, Sofia was porcelain. Her eyes blue as forget-me-nots and her hair was a beautiful burnished copper. Cedric allowed himself this moment of admiration, she would be 19 in the spring and within a year of then would be lost to him in the restrictions and regulations that royal courting required. No more days spent sequestered away in his tower puzzling out difficult incantations. No more trips to procure potion ingredients. Certainly, no more days visiting his parents at Mystic Meadows. Soon, she would be caught up in the storm that was royal matchmaking. So soon.
He scoffed. Nothing vexed him quite like the way nobility treated their children like chattel. 20, that was the magical number that they were thrust into the fray and expected to find "true love." More like "true benefit to their mutual kingdoms," he thought angrily. It was one of the very few benefits commoners had compared to their betters. Certainly, he had never been pressured into marrying. He could remain a bachelor all his days and very few would be distressed by it. While it was, indeed, usually up to the Prince and Princess to marry, there was always a fair amount of political maneuvering behind the courtship. He wasn't sure why this tradition suddenly upset him so. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he had anything to lose from this custom. He would miss his friend. Yes, that was it, he would miss her company, nothing more. With his conviction in him mind he could almost believe it.
He pondered what to do with the remainder of his night. He considered changing his mind and joining the affair below. But one particularly shrill peal of laughter changed his mind instantly. He would do nearly anything for Sofia, but enduring an evening of gossiping women bordered on torturous for him. He could turn in for the evening. But Cedric didn't require the amount of sleep most seemed to. Perhaps it was just one more ideocracy of his, but he could usually get by on less than half what others seemed to require. He could get lost in an ancient tome that he had not read 50 times, he could practice some new potions. None of these distractions seemed enjoyable enough to pull him from his view, so he chose to stay and watch hoping to absorb some of the glee from below, veiled in darkness, twisting a certain teacup in his fingers.
Sofia on the other hand was having a hard time enjoying herself. She was very pleased to have some of her closest friends here and she was thrilled to see Amber, but something was missing. And with a stolen glance up she confirmed that her missing something was watching her even now. Shrouded in the shadows of his balcony she could tell he was doing his best to remain discreet, but he couldn't hide. Not from her.
As she grew she found that more and more she enjoyed the quiet comradery she had with Cedric than the boisterous friendships of her contemporaries. She wished he would come down, she wished she could go up. Most of all she wished she could be near him tonight. Her family never seemed to understand her rapport with the temperamental sorcerer, but neither did they interfere with it. They seemed content to let her play at magic with the older man assuring themselves that it was just a phase.
If only it were.
While she loved magic, and enjoyed working at it she was afraid most of her interest in the tower looming at her back, was its occupant. Over time and at her instance he had become her closest friend. Her only regrets were in the fact that her worlds seemed never to be content to mix. Her social circle carefully chosen by family and duty were at great odds with her companion in his dark tower. She had difficulty articulating her feelings toward him. He knew things about her that she would be unwilling to admit to anyone else. She admired him, and found his company engaging, but there was something else. Something that had been creeping up on her without her noticing. He had been nothing if not completely appropriate with her the entirety of their acquaintance. He had kept the veil of their social differences hazy but resolute. But something fluttered just short of her consciousness that stole her breath on occasion. She knew she loved her family, she cared deeply for her friends. Cedric seemed to exist in a misty cloud of uncertainty.
He was not conventionally handsome. He was too lean, too angular and too eccentric. But Sofia had always found his oddness to be his most attractive features. The way his dual hair would fall into his eyes when he was concentrating on a book. His sneer when he was trying to act as if something was not important to him. The hard plane of his chest she had felt during a few of her stolen hugs with him. These strange things caused her heart to palpitate in ways she was sure would raise the eyebrows of most who knew her.
The night of the teacup had seemed to solidify her inner turmoil. He had finally, after years of one sided affection, returned an embrace. Her heart had not known whether to leap from her chest or cease its beating. A flood of emotion had swallowed her, making her breath shallow and her knees weak. But as soon as it had begun it had stopped. And he had sent her on her way with a friendly pat that one might bestow on a particularly loyal pet. She had barely slept that night pondering all the meanings behind both of their actions. As if puzzling out the moments of the event might grant her new understanding of their relationship. Nothing enlightening had occurred and all she had to show for all her contemplation were puffy eyes and a slight headache the next day. She still couldn't think of that night without a mixture of fear and elation. Mental and physical reactions to a moment that had not been repeated.
Staring into the fire she blushed furiously. She found herself grateful for the excuse of the heat of the flames. She was not being a good host. Amber was gushing to her about Zandar taking her, somewhere. She had honestly not been paying any attention. Not that it mattered, a smile and a head nod was all that Amber needed for encouragement. But this was unlike her. She loved her sister and she got to see her so rarely now she owed her sister all of her attention. Shoving her distracting thoughts to the back of her mind she turned back to her company. They would have a wonderful evening, with or without all invited.
Cedric frowned, something was changing. The air suddenly seemed sinister and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up in a warning. It was such a rapid change it took him a moment to realize it's truth. Cursing his distraction, he began stretching out his mind for the shift. It was subtle but was becoming more and more potent. He scanned the horizon looking for the source of his angst. But the threat did not come from land, it came from the air.
The immense creature emerged almost silently from the midnight sky. Its sheer size was difficult for the mind to grasp. This was not a friendly singing dragon that they had meet in the Blazing Palisades, this was an animal of a more ancient, evil time. He looked down in panic at the ladies, praying to whatever God might be listening that the monster would pass by the castle without incident. None of the young women were yet aware of the monstrosity wheeling toward them. No such luck, the dragon turned in the air and began its decent toward the fortress. It was black as night with a green iridescent shine to its scales. He finally heard the call of the castle guards go out, but he knew in his heart swords would be of no use in this fight. Breaking out of his awe Cedric flew into action. Tearing back into his tower he began to frantically gather things he would need to defeat this foe. He felt it land heavily in the clearing and began its thunderous steps toward the gathering. He snatched his family wand from the case Sofia had made him so many years prior. He sprinted back toward the balcony, he would die before he would let it hurt her.
It was mayhem. She had never realized a night could turn from pleasant to madness so rapidly. One moment she had been chatting about Amber's most recent fan purchase to running for her life. She had been the first to see the dragon approaching. It was all she could do in the terror of her mind to scream to the others to run toward the castle. Arrows whizzed toward the beast from the ramparts and bounced harmlessly off its armor of scales. One arrow found purchase in the monster's eye allowing Sofia to herd the scattered princesses into a group as the reptile roared in frustration.
She rushed them into a small alcove of the outer wall of the palace. The outer door was too far to risk. They clustered together fully submitting to Sofia's instruction. They were completely out of their depth in this situation and there was nary a price in sight to rescue them. Flames erupted from the dragon's mouth setting the first line of archers aflame. Screams filled the night and putrid smoke wafted into the air. Its flames were green and in a moment of giddy hysteria Sofia thought how fitting her doom would match her party colors.
Blitzing forward it caught a knight in the blades of its teeth. The man vainly slashed at the dragon's snout with his sword until it pressed its teeth together in a motion that seemed almost gentle. The shrieks of the individual were nearly drowned out by the echoes of crunching metal and tearing flesh. What wasn't swallowed dropped to the ground in wet, sickening thuds. Its claws flashed forward and cleaved three more men clean in half. The copper tang of blood mingled with the brimstone of the creature's flames.
There was only one last hope. More lives would be lost if someone didn't do something now. Sofia took a few quivering steps out from their poor hiding spot. She heard the hissing pleas from her sister as she broke free of the group. When she felt there was enough distance between her and her companions she opened her mouth to call out, but not even a squeak came from her. She had to swallow three times before her parched throat could create enough saliva for speech. She squared her shoulders and fought to emit a confidence she did not possess.
"Dragon!" She shouted toward the melee.
Skidding across the stones back to the balcony of his tower Cedric froze at the sight before him. The lizard had swung its mammoth head around toward the insignificant human that dared call out to it. Liquid fire and blood dripped from its teeth. Inquisition momentarily halting its onslaught.
"We have no quarrel with you. Please, leave us in peace!" Her wavering voice floated across the din.
She was actually trying to reason with the beast. A wave of blistering dread and unabashed admiration raced through his being. He had always known Sofia had a rapport with animals that he could not explain but this was something altogether new. The creature seemed to be contemplating her as she continued to appeal to it. She didn't understand. This was not a pet she could converse with. This was a creature of ancient magic and malevolent desires. It would view any human as insignificant as an insect. Whatever nefarious purposes had driven it here it would not be deterred by the begging of one innocent princess. It would destroy every man, woman and child in Enchancia all without a moment's hesitation. The only reason he could think of for the thing pausing its attack was sheer incredulity at her foolishness.
The moment passed in the beat of his heart. The dragon, no longer amused by the pleading of the girl, coiled its body up to strike. It opened its giant maw inhaling deeply and Cedric saw the green embers of flame spring to life down its throat. Horror twisted Sofia's face into a grimace as she realized what was about to happen. She spread her arms further out as if the small futile action might protect the quivering, wailing women cowering behind her. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. Without another thought Cedric leapt from his tower into the fray.