The story goes a little crazy from here on out :-/ but it was also enjoyable to write so I hope you like reading it! :) and I want to thank everyone for all the kind reviews I've gotten! it really helps motivate me to keep writing

Cover Art by JessDeaton on DA

I do not own these characters, Disney does

*** A/U where Sofia is 18 and Cedric is 28 ***

1.

As soon as they had shut her door, Sofia crumpled onto the floor. How had everything gone so wrong?

"Sofia?" Clover was in her room, and he hopped over. "What's the matter?"

"Everything," she said, fighting tears. She looked down at her amulet.

"Anything I can do?" he asked, placing a small paw on her knee.

"I don't know."

"Why don't you tell me what's going on?" He suggested, and she nodded. She told him everything; all about her and Cedric, and about how her parents had reacted, and finally about the amulet.

"I knew he was up to no good,"

"Clover!" Sofia let her shoulders fall.

"Sorry, sorry. But what are you going to do? Now you know he can't be trusted."

"But, I do trust him." She told her friend. "He had a perfect chance to take the amulet from me, I handed it over, and he gave it back. That means something." She just knew it did.

"I suppose it does," he said. "If you say so."

"But what do I do now?" She asked. She looked down at her Amulet, wondering if a Princess would appear to help her, or give her advice. But no one came. Maybe she was the only princess she needed anymore. "I think I have an idea," Sofia said carefully.

She picked herself up, and checked her closet. The mirror was still there.

"What's that?" Clover asked.

"I can use this to travel to Cedric's workshop. Then I can use one of his invisibility potions to go see him."

"Then what?" Clover sniffed the mirror tentatively.

"I want to hear the full story, from him." She told Clover, "and then I am going to get him out of the dungeon."

"But, your parents are going to know who did it, especially when they find the mirror."

"It won't matter, when Cedric leaves, I'm going to go with him." She clutched her Amulet, and ran back to her bed.

"I'm so sorry, Clover." She said, her mind racing.

"Why?" he asked, alarmed.

"I'm leaving the Amulet behind." She said sadly.

Clover gasped, "But, Sof…"

"It's my best chance of convincing my parents that Cedric isn't a threat. And that he is sincere in his feelings for me." She grabbed a parchment and scribbled a quick note, telling her parents everything. How she loved Cedric and knew he was innocent, and that she was leaving with him. "If I leave behind the amulet, and we still leave, they'll have to know that he wasn't just after," she had to clear her throat, "The amulet." She looked at Clover.

"And this way, you'll know too?" he said softly. Sofia couldn't answer, so she leaned down and kissed her friend on his furry forehead. She smiled at him and unclasped the amulet. Clover hopped onto the bed, and watched her set the note and amulet on the bed where both were sure to be found.

"Good bye Clover, wish me luck. Hopefully I'll be back some day." She choked on the words, but smiled at her friend. Clover made small noises that she no longer could interpret. "Take care of yourself." She had to hurry, so she gave him a final goodbye scratch behind the ears.

She rushed back into her closet. She grabbed a small bag, and shoved a few simple essentials into it. She grabbed the two wands, hers and Cedric's spare, and opened the portal between the mirrors.

One inside Cedric's tower, she tried to listen for voices or footsteps, but it appeared that she was alone. But then she heard a familiar caw of annoyance.

"Wormwood!" Sofia ran to his perch.

He ruffled his feathers, and cawed at her.

"I don't have my amulet," she told him, in case he was trying to speak to her. "Cedric is in trouble."

Wormwood cawed again, looking her over.

"I don't have time to explain," She grabbed a loose piece of parchment and wrote a quick note for Cedric on it. "He's in the dungeon, can you take this to him?" She held out the note after rolling it up.

Wormwood eyed the paper, but finally held out one of his claws so that she could gently tie the note to it. The raven seemed to roll his eyes at her, and then he flew out an open window

She began to rummage through his shelves, keeping an ear out for any noises above her, in case someone came into Cedric's workshop. Luckily, Cedric tended to keep bits of everything everywhere, and since she was the one who organized his workshop she found what she needed easily; a few vials of invisibly potion and since there would probably be a guard she grabbed a pouch of sleeping powder.

Deciding not to take any chances, she poured some of the invisibility potion on herself before heading up the stairs. The dungeon was a bit of a walk from where she was now, so she kept it handy in case she needed to use more. She walked up into his workshop, and was relieved to see that there was no one guarding the door. She raced down the stairs and through the halls, careful to do so quietly. As Sofia passed the throne room she heard the sound of heated voices. Her family was still there, and arguing about her. Her steps slowed, and she stopped to listen.

"I think we should trust her," James said. "If he was a threat she would know."

"She isn't thinking clearly." Her father said to him. "You heard Goodwin the great, he saw them kissing. Clearly he has enchanted her somehow."

"We should have heard what they had to say for themselves," her mother said. "You were too hasty," she added.

"It doesn't matter that he no longer wants to take her amulet and use its magic to take over the kingdom. The point is that he did plot to do it." Her father paced the room, and then punched his open hand. "I've got it, we will banish him. Eventually Sofia will forgive us."

"I doubt that," Queen Miranda said. "She's always been so fond of Cedric, I doubt this is a fleeting crush."

"Even more reason to get rid of him, he could easily be manipulating her. She's confined to her room until she comes to her senses." King Rolland said firmly.

"I still don't think Cedric is a threat, you should reconsider banishing him." James said.

"His own father warned us about him, and he has gotten much more talented over the years. I think we can consider him fairly dangerous now, particularly if he has swayed Sofia to his side."

Sofia decided that she had heard enough, and walked quietly passed them. She gave one final, fond look at her family. Even her father, she knew that in his own way he was trying to do what he thought was best for her. She couldn't be mad at them, especially since she didn't know when she would ever see them again.