A Thief Amongst Us

Summary: Wilesworth the Wicked, an infamous and unruly wizard from the Kingdom of Dolez, is after a precious artifact called the Winsome Stone, which just happens to be locked away in the Enchancian Castle. In order to get his hands on it, he disguises himself as Cedric, which causes a lot of confusion and trouble for the poor sorcerer. *Requested by allyrwhitney*

Disclaimer: I only own Wilesworth the Wicked, the Kingdom of Dolez, and the Winsome Stone; the idea, however, belongs to allyrwhitney!

A/N: Well, since she's one of the main people keeping up with my Sofia the First story count, I'd like to dedicate this story to allyrwhitney. She's indicated to me that this is, in fact, my 300th STF story. I can't believe it! 😊 Thanks to everyone who's followed me on my Sofia journey these last four years. Without you all, I would not be writing as steadily as I do, so consider this a tribute to you all. And hey, what better way to celebrate than with a Cedric and Sofia friendship/humor story, right? Enjoy!

*Story*

"There he goes! Seize him!"

"Curses!" a man in a sage robe muttered to himself as he took off running, his pale blonde hair flying out behind him and his spectacles barely hanging on as he did so. "Give it up! I'm no match for you!" He cackled as he reached into his robe and withdrew small cloth bags individually tied with twine; he then tossed each one behind him, grinning as he heard the powdery explosions and coughing of the guards who were chasing him. "Serves you right for trying to outsmart Wilesworth the Wicked!" He laughed heartily before pressing on, outrunning his pursuers and eventually vanishing into thin air.

In Roland's office, the king was looking over a variety of documents while Baileywick was reading off a list of updates and events. One in particular seemed to pique his interest.

"…And then, you have that meeting with the blacksmith in the morning," the steward told Roland before reaching the bottom of his list. "Oh, right… The Kingdom of Dolez has advised all kingdoms to be on the lookout for a wizard called Wilesworth the Wicked, who was accused of stealing an antique crown from the palace jewels and something called a Copycat Coin. He could be going on a thievery rampage." He turned the parchment around, producing the image of the man in question to Roland. Wilesworth wore a sage robe clasped together with black ties. Part of his long pale blonde hair was tied into two sections on either side of his head with dark blue bands; a mustache and beard of the same shade framed his face. A dark pair of spectacles rested on his nose, behind them his mischievous green eyes peering out. And on his face, he wore a smirk—clear evidence that he didn't exactly feel remorse for his wicked ways.

"Where on earth do they come up with these names and titles?" Roland wondered with a roll of his eyes. "And I'm starting to see a pattern here with troublesome wizards…" He placed his quill down and began stacking some of the papers. "That's not a jab at Cedric, of course."

"Yes, it is, Your Majesty," Baileywick corrected with a smirk. "And I encourage you to continue jabbing if necessary."

Roland laughed. "I know he's not exactly your favorite person, Baileywick, but even you must admit he's gotten better the last year; even the last few years, he's changed a lot."

"Yes. I think we can credit most of that to Princess Sofia."

He nodded. "I agree." He yawned and stood up from the desk. "Did they say what sort of items this Wilesworth guy is stealing?

Baileywick shook his head as he rolled the list up. "Nothing in particular was mentioned, but as you and your family do have a jewelry collection of your own, perhaps we should place a few extra guards at the Royal Treasure Room."

"I'll go talk to them now," Roland agreed. "How much longer until lunch?" He grinned as the steward chuckled.

"An hour, Your Majesty."

"Great! Thanks, Baileywick."

Jade eyes glared through slightly crooked spectacles at the Enchancian castle in the distance. Wilesworth the Wicked sat crouched in a cluster of bushes and trees as he plotted out his next move. "The Winsome Stone is in that castle," he remarked to himself as he retrieved a book from his satchel and began flipping through its pages. He grinned as he settled on an image of a pale purple stone with tiny flecks of glittering color scattered about the stone. "With this stone, I can win anything: contests, money, professions, the heart of Kariana the Callous…" He smiled dreamily. "Ah, there's nothing like a woman who's not afraid to take things by force." He then frowned thoughtfully as he replaced the book. "But how to get in without being spotted… That petty King Bartholomew already sent my portrait out to all the other kingdoms…" He gasped and ducked down as he heard two people chattering and approaching his spot.

"Mr. Cedric, thanks for your help today," Sofia said with a smile as she and Cedric walked right by the bushes before stopping momentarily. "I know the villagers like it when you put on a magic show—even though I know you don't always like to do it."

Cedric just smiled down at his friend and nodded. "Anything for you, Sofia."

"Sofia?" Wilesworth whispered to himself, his eyes widening. "As in Princess Sofia of Enchancia?" He grinned. "Oh, this is too good to be true…" He turned his gaze toward Cedric standing next to her. "Ah, and that must be the royal sorcerer… Hmm…" He smirked and stroked his beard.

"I guess we should head back to the castle," Sofia acknowledged with a small sigh as she stared at her home in the distance. "Amber had asked me to help her study up on the royal lineage information."

Cedric noted the hint of disappointment in his apprentice's voice and chuckled, withdrawing his wand as she looked back to him. "Or… I could conjure us a picnic and we could prolong this outing a little bit more."

She grinned and nodded. "You're the best, Mr. Cedric!"

The sorcerer smiled as she grabbed his hand and led him away to another section of the area to share in their picnic.

"This must be Wilesworth-Gets-Lucky Day," the wicked wizard laughed giddily as he hopped out of the bush once the two friends had vacated the area. "With those two preoccupied, I can disguise myself as the royal sorcerer and get in and out, lickety-split!" He reached into his robe and pulled out a gold coin, which had a double image of an etched man on both sides of it. "The Copycat Coin will take care of that." He flipped it into the air and said, "Disguise me as the Enchancian royal sorcerer Cedric." Once he caught the coin, the magic enveloped him and changed his outward appearance to that of Cedric. He grinned. "Perfect!" He winced. "Ugh, this voice… How irritating…" He rolled his eyes before strolling toward the castle. "This should be a piece of cake."

With his disguise, Wilesworth was able to get by the guards undetected. Apparently, this sorcerer guy was well-known and not considered a threat. Good. Now if he could just figure out where the Royal Treasure Room was—

"Cedric?"

"AHH!" The wizard in disguise whirled around to find Baileywick standing there, an inquisitive look on his face. "Don't scare me like that!"

The steward lifted one eyebrow at the strange outburst and folded his arms. "You're rather jumpy today…" He shrugged it off before asking, "Where is Sofia?"

"Who?" He stammered a bit when he saw the look of surprise on the other man's face. "Oh, uh, P-Princess Sofia! She told me, um…" He dug through his mind to recall the conversation he'd overheard her having with her friend before snapping his fingers. "She's studying royal people with the other princess."

"…Amber?" Baileywick offered, still a little mystified at Cedric's behavior. Seeing the nod, he frowned. "Are you feeling all right? You're acting stranger than usual."

"Oh, yes, yes… I suppose I'm just tired. I'll need to get extra rest tonight." He then figured he might need to use this opportunity to his advantage, but he knew he had to tread lightly. This butler guy already seemed to be wary of him. "Say, I wonder if you could do me a favor…"

"Since when do you ask me for favors?" He pulled out his pocket watch and observed it. "Besides, I need to be getting back to work. I'm two minutes away from getting behind."

"It will only take a moment." He offered the older man a pleading grin, his hands folded together. "Please?"

Baileywick rolled his eyes, folding his arms again. "Very well. But stop begging. It's disturbing."

"Right, right." He mimicked the steward, folding his own arms. "I'm curious as to where I might find some…oh, what are they called? Oh, right, some moonstones for an experiment I'm working on?" Oh, that was a good excuse, actually. He knew well that moonstones were inexpensive in comparison to other jewels, yet they were still likely to be housed with the other jewels. Besides, they did have properties that many magic wielders liked to utilize.

"Well, they would likely be in the Royal Treasure Room. Actually…" He turned as Violet entered the room. "Violet, could you do me a favor?"

"Certainly, Mr. Baileywick," the maid responded happily.

"Cedric is looking for some moonstones for some of his work. Didn't the guards lock some away in the Royal Treasure Room?"

"Oh, indeed they did. Last week, if I'm not mistaken." She smiled pleasantly toward the wizard in disguise. "Would you like me to take you to them, Mr. Cedric?"

The wizard's eyes lit up. He couldn't believe how easy this was… "Oh, of course! Thank you." He smiled excitedly as Baileywick turned back to his duties. "I appreciate this," he told the maid.

"It's no problem," she assured him kindly. "We'll only need to notify the guards. They're on high alert right now, what with that horrid Wilesworth the Wicked on the loose and robbing royals of their jewels."

"Oh, really?" he asked in mock surprise. "I'd not heard." He turned and smirked as she continued leading him. "Hmm…"

Cedric and Sofia walked back into the castle a few minutes later, seemingly satisfied with their lunch earlier. As they chatted and walked down the corridor, they came across Baileywick, who was frowning at them in confusion.

"Baileywick?" Sofia asked. "Are you okay?"

"Princess Sofia, I thought you were working with Amber," he said.

"Well, I will be… Haven't gotten there yet." She giggled. "Did she try to send a search party for me or something?"

The steward blinked. "What?" He glanced to Cedric, who seemed clueless as to the conversation. "Cedric, what are you doing here?"

Cedric scoffed in mild offense. "What? I can't leave my tower every now and then? Honestly, Baileywick… The princess and I just returned from a picnic, if you must know." He folded his arms.

"But…I just saw you." He pointed in the other direction. "You and Violet just left to the Royal Treasure Room to get some moonstones!"

"Why on earth would I need moonstones? I have plenty in my workshop." He frowned in mild concern. "Baileywick, what is going on?"

"I…" The steward's eyes widened. "Oh, no… Violet!" He turned sharply. "We need to find her."

"Wait, what's wrong?" Sofia asked, completely confused.

"A wizard named Wilesworth the Wicked is going around stealing artifacts from different kingdoms, and I believe he's disguised himself as Cedric to steal something from here. Now stop asking questions. We need to find them!" He took off running.

Cedric couldn't help remarking, "I don't think I've ever seen him run that fast…" He yelped as Sofia took his hand and pulled him along, both now running to catch up to the worried steward.

"Thank you for your help, Violet," Wilesworth gushed lightly as the guards allowed them inside. "They probably wouldn't have let just me in here anyway."

The brunette gave him a funny look but responded, "Right… It's no problem, sir." She gestured toward a glass case filled to the brim with glowing moonstones, each one shinier and more magical than the last. "There you have it. Moonstones."

"Right… Moonstones." He smiled convincingly and gathered a few into his hand before peering to the back of the room, noting with glee that the Winsome Stone was in fact sitting on a display pedestal, shimmering under the lighting. He also noticed, with a gulp, that there seemed to be some griffins lingering about and keeping an eye out. He'd heard about those wretched creatures. They definitely made heists a lot harder than necessary. Distracted, he accidentally knocked into Violet, causing the moonstones he'd gathered to fall on the floor. "Oops…"

She smiled. "Not to worry. I'll get them." She knelt down and began gathering the fallen stones.

Wilesworth gasped in fake surprise. "Oh, one skidded over here. I'll get it!" He slunk along the side of the room and smirked as he stealthily approached the Winsome Stone, reaching out to take it.

"Mr. Cedric?"

"Huh?!" Wilesworth whirled around, his arms tucked behind him and a foolish grin plastered on his face as Violet eyed him suspiciously. "Y-Yes?"

"What are you doing? I thought you were trying to gather the scattered moonstones."

"I—I was! But…this pretty stone caught my eye, and I was just admiring it."

"Yes…" She frowned. "You know, I really need to be getting back to work, so I think—"

The wizard snarled and grabbed her wrist before she could leave. "You aren't going anywhere."

Dark green eyes widened at the usually placid sorcerer's behavior. What was going on?

"Release her, you fiend!" Baileywick demanded as he, Sofia, and the real Cedric arrived at the room, each panting from their running.

"Mr. Baileywick!" Violet called out as she dropped the moonstones, Wilesworth's hold on her tightening. She then eyed the real Cedric at the door, who seemed as shocked as she did. "What on earth is going on?"

Cedric withdrew his wand from his robe. "That's what I'd like to know as well. You seek to impersonate me, eh? Show your true form, you coward."

"With pleasure." Removing one hand from his hold on Violet, Wilesworth flipped his Copycat Coin and returned to his normal self. "Stay back, all of you, or the maid here is coming with me." He chuckled. "She'd make a pretty little partner-in-crime for me too, wouldn't she?"

The brunette scowled, annoyed at his smug nature. "You wish!" She twisted sharply, shaking his hold from her before kicking him once in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. She kept one foot on his chest to assure that he wouldn't move…at least for now.

Baileywick's eyes widened as Cedric quickly moved to take care of the fallen wizard. "Violet… I didn't know you could do that."

She grinned at her friend. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Baileywick. I'm a lot stronger than I look." She laughed softly as he took her hand and guided her toward the exit, an impressed smile on his face.

"I'll keep that in mind."

While Baileywick and Violet stepped outside the Royal Treasure Room, Cedric forced the fallen wizard to his feet. "What were you after?" he demanded.

"The blasted Winsome Stone, if you must know." The older man scoffed as the sorcerer magically bounded him before allowing the guards to finally enter and take hold of him. "And I would have gotten away with it!"

"No, you wouldn't," Sofia retaliated, rolling her eyes. "You impersonated Cedric the Sensational, and you obviously did a bad job." She smiled up at her mentor. "There's only one Mr. Cedric, after all." She giggled as he smiled back at her.

Wilesworth made a gagging sound. "Spare me…" He whined in annoyance as he was carried away. "Foiled by a bunch of do-goody Enchancians! Curses!"

"Well, then," Cedric sighed as he picked up the moonstones before placing them back into their container, "I believe you had a task to attend to with Princess Amber, Sofia."

"Oh, yeah," she laughed. "In all the excitement, I forgot…" She looked up at the Winsome Stone. "So what does that do anyway?"

"Causes more trouble than it's worth," he responded wisely. "Believe me." He held out his hand and smiled as she accepted it. "Come along, Sofia. Nothing more to see in here."

"Okay, Mr. Cedric."

The guards shut the door behind them and locked it, standing at their posts once again.

"Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked a few minutes later as they stopped in the hall. Seeing she had his attention, she continued hesitantly, "What you said about the Winsome Stone… You never…you know…tried to use it, did you? Like back when you were…?"

He shook his head. "No…" He smiled apologetically. "I did think about it a few times, honestly, but…in the end, it most certainly wasn't worth it." He placed one hand on her shoulder. "Look what I would have lost."

She smiled and leaned toward him, hugging him and sighing happily as he did the same. "I'll see you later, Mr. Cedric. Thanks for lunch, and for stopping yet another bad guy."

He laughed as he released her. "Perhaps you should be thanking Violet for that." He smirked as she giggled. "Go to your sister before she really does send a search party." He smiled as she nodded and headed off to Amber's room. "Hmm." No… Using that horrid stone definitely wouldn't have been worth what he would have lost. He'd nearly had that misfortune once, and he certainly didn't care to see it happen again. Contented, he turned and headed to his tower.

The end