Twenty years. Twenty bloody, hellish years, and for what? The long awaited gratification of conquest and glory? No! The friendship of a little goody-goody princess and a "second chance". What a fool King Roland must be, as if years of abuse and neglect would simply be forgotten by his master, and what of his own indignities? Wormwood had suffered alongside Cedric all those years, their partnership built on the mutual desire for power and recognition of their overlooked greatness. Cedric had been weak, human nature no doubt, but they'd be back to the evil drawing board the minute the royals had their backs turned.
At least that's what the raven thought would happen…
Like a drowning rat, Cedric clutched to the lifeline the king had thrown him, whether compelled by fear or desiring absolution, Wormwood couldn't tell anymore. The sorcerer had been growing soft for years now, ever since Sofia came into their lives. In two years she'd undone two decades worth of damage, all with her unfettered belief in the man. It didn't make any sense! Why had her friendship changed him so much? He thought since that speaking potion gave him the ability to communicate with Cedric, they'd only grow closer, but they hadn't. In fact, the lines between them became more distinct. Cedric wasn't like him after all, not truly.
It was abundantly clear to the raven that if he wanted to take over the kingdom, he'd have to do it himself, only there was one obvious problem preventing his takeover: his present form, a problem he reckoned his craft and cunning could rectify provided his dear master wasn't suspicious of his intentions.
"Cedric, I've been thinking," Wormwood announced as he flew into the tower one morning fresh from his first flight of the day to stretch his wings. He landed on his perch as the sorcerer looked up from his spell books. "Wouldn't it be beneficial to both your work and our friendship if I were of the same species?"
"Oh? The animal to human transformation, Wormy?" Cedric raised a curious eyebrow. "But you love being a raven and hate when I use magic on you."
"I do, but it does get a little droll simply watching you all day. I'd like to try it. If I don't like it, you can always change me back."
"Well I suppose there's no harm in trying. Let's have a looksee," Cedric said, flipping quickly through his book to find the right page as Wormwood flew to his shoulder. "Hm, alright. Shouldn't be all that complicated. Some room, Wormy."
Wormwood hopped off Cedric's shoulder and stood on the floor, a bit hesitant his master's tendency to bungle spells would flare and he'd end up a roast raven.
Cedric cleared his throat and began flicking his wand in rhythm with the spell, "May this creature I am seeing, transform into a human being: Corvus Humanus!"
The raven gulped and forced himself to stay still as the sparkling stream of magic erupted from Cedric's wand and struck his chest, a warm feeling spreading throughout his body and growing. He honestly thought the spell might have failed until he opened his green eyes and found himself level with Cedric's.
"Oh Wormy! That's the smoothest transformation spell I've ever done!" Cedric put his hands on his hips and put his nose in the air proudly. "And you look marvelous!"
Wormwood glanced down at the trunk of his body, clothed in a deep midnight suit with a ruffled collar. He was about Cedric's size, although slightly fuller in figure, but paler in complexion. He stepped to a nearby mirror to examine his face: he had bushy eyebrows and dark, feathery hair flaring at the ends, a beak-like nose, and a wide grin that spread as he gazed upon the first of what he hoped would be many successes. "Dare I say, you've out done yourself, Cedric."
Cedric chuckled proudly. "How does it feel?"
"Heavy, if I'm honest," Wormwood smirked and took a few steps around, flexing his fingers as he did so to make sure he'd make no clumsy mistakes in this new form. He tested it by trying to pick up a nearby beaker and still found himself unsteady gripping with only one hand and required the other. "And I've never had such dexterity… this could take a lot of getting used to."
"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," Cedric smiled in encouragement. "Keep trying. I have plenty of repair spells if you break anything."
Wormwood discretely rolled his eyes, the pedagogue like tone in his voice rather annoying. Still, he did as Cedric suggested and held the beaker tightly in one hand and then relaxed it a little when he was certain it wouldn't slip from the fleshy digits. They definitely gripped better than his feathers, and now with a little confidence gained, he began picking up and setting down all sorts of objects from Cedric's table. "Haha! This isn't so hard! Might I try your wand?"
"Do your worst, Wormy," Cedric chuckled, extended his wand to him without second thought.
Wormwood took the instrument into his hand and flicked his wrist a few times to get a feel for it, all while musing, "You know, I've been watching you do magic for over twenty years, wondering if I could be capable of doing so if given the opportunity."
"Well if you want to assist me Wormy, knowing a few spells goes without saying. What one did you want to try?" Cedric asked.
The atmosphere in the room changed as Wormwood turned to his master, green eyes a glow and his mouth curled into a devilish grin, but Cedric didn't feel threatened until he was staring down the length of his own wand pointed at his chest. "I was thinking a little role reversal. Humanus Corvus!"
The spell struck like lightning and instead of a man's cry, a raven's caw echoed throughout the tower and a mass of plum-tinted feathers fell to the ground, the top of his head having a slight grey patch where his bangs had been. Cedric looked up to find Wormwood looming over him, triumphant and now brimming with confidence. The maniacal laugh that followed told Cedric all he needed to know: that he had made an awful, terrible mistake.
As Wormwood's laughter settled, he smoothed back his hair and pulled Cedric up into the air by his newly talon feet, the only weapon the sorcerer now had against him. "Terribly sorry, old friend, but it'll be better this way, don't you think? I've always been the more cunning one between the two of us, not to mention my conviction isn't so easily wavered."
"Wormy! You can't be serious! Turn me back!" Cedric cawed and while Wormwood was able to understand his native tongue, he didn't seem to give a damn.
"Oh, enough of your squawking, Ceddy. We have work to do," Wormwood said, setting Cedric on the perch and giving him a pat on the beak. "Part one of my plan has already gone smoothly, but best we continue to make thorough preparations. We don't want to blunder taking over the kingdom this time."
"Take over the kingdom?! I refuse!" Cedric cawed and wobbled back and forth on the perch as he tried to find his balance in this new form.
"No? Well then, I suppose I can't have you running off to inform a certain princess," Wormwood smirked and flicked Cedric's wand, making the birdcage the sorcerer kept in the rafters fly down and scoop up the raven within its bars.
"Wormwood, how could you?! You and me… we're all each other has ever had!"
"Yes, so how do you think if feels to have everything we worked for together destroyed by one little girl?!" Wormwood shouted back. "It wouldn't be that hard to do away with her, but she made you soft from the beginning!"
"I was never out to hurt anyone, Wormwood! You know that!"
"So it was fine for them to hurt you?! The bumbling son of Goodwyn the Great, Cedric the Sniveling? As soon as I was assigned to you, my fate became the same! Our destinies linked! I wanted to take over the kingdom just as much as you did, no, more than you did! And I can do it now, Cedric. I can achieve everything we ever wanted! You never needed the princess or her friendship!"
"Then why didn't you tell me you were hurting as much as I was?! You know I'd help you!"
"Well now I'm helping myself, Cedric. I do feel bad about using you, but it was necessary. You understand."
"No… I don't…" Cedric confessed, sulking within the cage.
"You'll have plenty of time to think about it," Wormwood said coldly as he sheathed the wand in his sleeve and grabbed Cedric's main spell book. "I have work to do."
"Wormwood!" Cedric called after him as he watched the man walk out the door and lock it behind him. "Wormwood, don't do it! I beg of you!"
Silence.
Cedric paced the small circle of the cage wondering what he ought to do. Wormwood wouldn't have the problem he did going after the king's guard and other staff – he never ever wanted anyone to get hurt during his take over, merely cower at his power and swear allegiance, but being the bumbler he was, giving off that truly evil aura had been impossible for him. Not for Wormwood though. No, Wormy was a natural when it came to villainy. He probably already had the castle under his control and once the children got home from school… if he got his hands on the Amulet of Avalor…
"Sofia! I have to warn, Sofia!" He squawked and noticed he was beginning to molt from the stress of confinement. He tried cawing at his parents' portrait for assistance, but it didn't work. Never-the-less, he couldn't give up. Not now. Everyone was in danger.
He went still and took a deep breath, trying to think. Now wasn't the time to be panicking despite how much he wanted to. Yes, he was stuck as a raven and without his potions and wand, but he was still a sorcerer with or without such items. He had an ability to tap into magic using his own hands if he really wanted to, but it was always safer to use a conduit like a wand – it significantly reduced the risk of injury. To try something in such a tiny form would be exceedingly stupid, but he had no other options.
Clearing his head to direct his focus, he spied the handmade wand case on top of his writing desk that contained his family's wand. He hoped he'd practiced enough with it to have it react to his summons, he thought as he kept his eyes on the case. Focus. Focus!
Finally the latch jiggled and popped open, the lid slowly lifting and the silvery white tool floated up and over to his outstretched talon.
"Haha! Got it!" He cawed happily and pointed to the lock, spelling it open and freeing him from the cage.
He repeated the action on the window and then took off on his unsteady wings, but miraculously avoided crashing. He had a chance, but it was a long flight to Royal Prep, and even if he warned Sofia, then what? Oh, he didn't have the energy to think and fly at the same time. At least his warning would allow them to make a plan of action, which would be far better than being blindsided.
Author's Notes: I have so many fics in the works and I've made lil progress on any of them. This one was meant to be just submitted as one long shot, but since I don't know when I'll finish it, I'll put the acts up in chapters.