Against the Clock
Summary: Cedric learns that a dark curse has been placed on his past self, which is causing him to weaken and disappear in the current day. In a race against the clock, he and Sofia travel to the past to see who has been tampering with past events and stop the culprit before Cedric disappears for good. *Carried over from Villain Symposium*
Disclaimer: I only own a few of the characters in here, including the villain. The character of Mahoney is in honor of one of my favorite actors who recently passed away: John Mahoney.
A/N: Well, here it is! My 300th story! 😊 I never believed I'd be saying that! And it's all thanks to all of you. You guys are the reason I continue writing. I hope you continue to enjoy, because I love writing for this fandom. Meanwhile, this story will be four chapters, but there will be a lot going on. Have fun!
Chapter List:
1: Less than Sensational
2: Covert Chaos
3: Pastimes Aplenty
4: A Race Against Time
*Story*
Chapter 1: Less than Sensational
"Cedric? Cedric!" Roland ran from behind his desk in his office and caught the sorcerer before he collapsed to the floor. Settling both of them in a more comfortable position, he glanced up at one of the guards. "Go get a medic now!" Seeing that his orders were followed, the king looked down at his fallen friend and noticed he seemed to be stirring ever so slightly. "Cedric, talk to me."
"Mm, M-Y-Your Majesty?" He blinked a few times before squeezing his eyes shut. "It's so bright…"
Miranda, who'd witnessed the whole scene, moved over toward the windows and drew a few of the curtains closed, lessening the light. "How's that, Cedric?"
He sighed in relief and blinked his eyes open once again. "Thank you, Queen Miranda… I'm sorry for this…"
"It's all right, Cedric." The king waved the medic in once he'd appeared in the doorway. "We'll get you seen about and determine what's going on."
"Hey, Dad, I—" Sofia paused both her steps and her words once she saw the unexpected sight before her. "Mr. Cedric!" She hurried into the room, dropping to the floor and taking his hand in both of hers. "What happened? Are you all right?"
Cedric murmured weakly before offering her hand a gentle squeeze, but he couldn't find the strength to actually respond to her.
Sofia looked up at her mother. "What happened?"
"He collapsed," she told her as the medic began his examination. "He was standing and talking with us one minute, and the next his eyes rolled back in his head and he was falling. Your father caught him."
"Oh, Dad…" The young princess turned and hugged Roland, sighing. "What's wrong with him?"
The medic glanced up after observing the sorcerer and cleared his throat, pushing his spectacles farther up his nose. "There doesn't really seem to be a prominent medical issue, Sire," he informed the king. "It could be dehydration. It could be exhaustion. From what I understand, some sorcerers can go days without sleeping."
"Cedric usually tries to sleep on a pretty regular schedule," Roland acknowledged. "At least, I'm pretty sure he does. However, if it's exhaustion or anything else, perhaps he needs a few days to heal?"
"I'd advise exactly that, Your Majesty. Allow him some time to regain his strength, and he should be right as rain soon enough." He wrote a few things down on some parchment and passed it to Roland. "Please make sure someone gets him plenty of fluids and see to it that he limits his activities."
"We'll do so. Thank you, sir." Once the medic left, Roland stood and helped the drowsy Cedric to his feet. "Come on, Cedric. Let's get you to your tower so you can get some rest."
Cedric shook his head a couple of times, feeling the fog starting to lift, so to speak. "I'm… I'm all right, King Roland. I think I can make it." He began walking and stumbled a bit before catching himself on the door frame.
Sofia hurried up to him and grabbed his arm, smiling encouragingly at him. "Let me help you."
He returned the smile. "That's very kind of you, my dear, but I think I can manage."
She frowned. "No. I'm helping you whether you like it or not."
He sighed, nodding. "As you wish…"
As they began walking, Sofia turned back to her parents. "I'll be back down later after I get Mr. Cedric settled in."
"Sure you don't need some help?" Miranda asked.
"I'm sure. Thanks, Mom. And thanks again, Dad." She turned back to her current charge and led him along toward the direction of his tower.
"I admire their bond," Miranda told her husband with a fond smile.
"Believe it or not, so do I." He wrapped one arm around her waist. "That's some daughter we have."
"Hmm."
Once they (slowly) made it into his workshop, Sofia had Cedric sit down in his desk chair before shutting the door. She walked over to him and took his face into her hands, giving him a serious look. "What really happened, Mr. Cedric?" she asked seriously. "You've been acting kind of weird the last few days, but I didn't want to say anything, and now you're fainting?"
Cedric reached up and gently clasped her hands in his, lowering them carefully. "I didn't want to say anything in front of your parents, but…" He sighed. "I've got this horrid feeling that I've been cursed."
"Cursed? How do you know?"
"I stole your amulet before, remember? I know what a curse feels like." He frowned as she nodded. "But this curse seems to be practically draining my very life from me. While today was bad, last night was worse." He glanced down at their hands. "I actually looked rather transparent."
The princess gasped. "You mean…?"
He looked toward her and nodded grimly. "I was vanishing before my very eyes." He released her hands and fisted his hands into his hair. "It doesn't make sense though! Curses are meant to cause physical or other forms of harm, certainly. But to make one disappear altogether? It doesn't add up."
"Does anyone you know have access to curses?" Seeing his deadpanned look, she grinned sheepishly. "Okay, stupid question. Let me rephrase that: Who, right now, would have access to such a thing and would want to harm you?"
Cedric rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "Take your pick. Grimtrix is at the top of my list, as usual."
"Maybe…" Sofia inhaled once before sighing in resignation. "Or maybe we need to consider the possibility that it could be someone else… Someone we've not even seen yet."
"Certainly, but again… This is a rather strange use for a curse. I'd be more inclined to believe that rather than making me disappear, one would—" He paused, his eyes wide and his mouth slack.
"Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked in concern. She waved her hand before his eyes, getting his attention again. "What is it? What do you think is going on?"
"I'm liable to disappear if…something has happened to me at another time. When I'm most vulnerable…"
The princess gasped. "You don't think…"
Cedric quickly stood and immediately regretted it, his equilibrium thrown off in a most unpleasant manner that left him seeking the edge of his work table. He held on as he caught his breath, gently assuring Sofia he was all right. "I must find that time travel spell…"
"Weren't you the one who always told me that time travel is a bad idea?" She folded her arms. "You could get hurt, Mr. Cedric."
"Would you rather me disappear altogether?" he countered, though not angrily. Seeing her sigh, he shrugged. "I may be completely off in this prediction, but I've got to at least try and see if I'm right. Because if I am, perhaps I can stop whoever is doing this to me."
"So…you think someone's not cursed you—they've cursed your younger self?"
"It's not unheard of in the darker circles of magic wielders, I'm afraid."
She nodded slowly before replying, "Fine. Then I'm going with you."
"You most certainly are not. I won't have you being in any more danger than I've already placed you before."
Sofia just gave her mentor a sweet smile. "You're not winning this argument, Mr. Cedric. I'm going."
Cedric finally relented, groaning in aggravation. "Fine. But listen, what I've told you in our lessons is not something to be taken lightly. Time travel is no joke, Sofia. One wrong move and we could completely change the entire course of history, even going so far as to stop certain events from ever occurring. So just stick by me and do as I say. All right?"
The princess nodded. "Yes, Mr. Cedric."
"Good." He frowned as he began looking around. "Now… Where is that youth potion?"
To be continued…
