Till the Battle Ends
Summary: Before Pain and Scars, even Forgiveness, Sofia battles Vor alone as her defeat leaves her weak. Stinging pain isn't enough to keep her down as even though hiding it is more difficult.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Sofia muttered a small hiss of pain as crimson blood trailed down her face.
Vor had just struck her in the face and chest with her magic.
The eleven-year-old's body was aching as Sofia glared at the woman in front of her.
"You're not kicking me down that easily!" Sofia hissed. "You may have pulled me into my own amulet and just struck me with your magic but you, Vor, will never win!"
She would have nightmares about what was going on for probably months but for now Sofia didn't care.
Vor's cackling sent a chill down her spine as if the woman was going to succeed in bringing the princess' downfall.
"Such DRAMATICS!" Vor rolled her dark eyes as they glittered with malice. "It's a wonder you made it this far with your chatter!" Her eyes then narrowed, focusing on the little princess like a tiger on it's helpless prey. "Spare me all your heroic speech. We both know you are wrong about how this will end."
Sofia gulped, fear washing over her as she suppressed a shudder. "I'm not afraid to stand against you," she managed to speak without so much as a tremor, for which she was glad. Her knees shook, but Sofia stood firm. She refused to give Vor the satisfaction of seeing her cower helplessly.
She may have been just a little girl but she wasn't going to show weakness at a time like this.
The crimson blood trailed down towards her nose, making Sofia almost gag.
Vomiting with the sight of her own blood being the cause wasn't something that Sofia wanted to do but couldn't help but do as a drip of the crisp pink apple tart went do her chin.
She wiped it away, furry still shown on her innocent features.
"What's the matter? Haven't you seen your own blood before?" Vor taunted, ignoring the girl's fury.
"Maybe from a scarped knee but not from my forehead!" Sofia hissed, hoping to not vomit again.
She had to win. She needed to get out of the amulet.
But Vor needed to be destroyed first.
Her thoughts caught her off guard as a flash of green lightning struck her again.
"You can't run away!" Vor cackled. Her blues eyes were wide and glittering with a malicious bless that sent shivers down Sofia's spine. "You've met your match today, little princess!"
Sofia groaned, struggling as she climbed to her feet. She refused to give in to this monster. She HAD to win.
She hated the blood. She wanted to vomit again.
But she thought of Prisma despite their hatred of the other. She couldn't imagine the hell the woman was going through.
Possessed by a malevolent spirit of pure evil. Evil beyond even her comprehension. Unable to fight back...
It was terrifying to think about.
Sofia forced herself back onto the present. Vor was glaring back at her, hands poised to strike again.
"You're not going to win!" Sofia growled.
The trailing blood wanted to make her vomit the rest of what she had eaten that day but Sofia wouldn't let it.
She thought of her family, her friends, the people she helped and loved.
It made her wonder what was happening as she groaned softly in pain.
Then, as she tried to shake to fog from her mind as Vor approached, she saw them.
Lined up behind the evil entity.
Every single princess who came to her aid was there. Looking at Sofia with smiles bright with confidence and reassurance.
And Sofia smiled back. Knowing what she had to do. How to defeat Vor.
She had no idea where a sudden light was coming from.
Was it some sort of power of love?
Sofia wasn't sure, nearly collapsing from the pain she felt around her.
Vor was so close to being defeated. She couldn't give up now.
Yet Sofia found herself whimpering, nearly in tears.
Whatever the pain was, it was starting to be in its strongest.
In the background, she could hear Vor shrieking in shock and disbelief. Through her hazy vision, Sofia watched as the evil witch struggled to get away from the beautiful, bright light Sofia projected. It swirled around her like a bright must. Vor was stunned as her knees gave out beneath her. Shock bloomed across her features as the realization of her defeat sank in.
"How... how can this be? You're just a little girl!" Her voice was getting farther away. Despite her shaking knees, Sofia pushed forward. The light from her chest burned like a brilliant star.
"My love will be the. End. Of. You!" Sofia screamed despite her shaking knees.
The burning sensation from her chest had Sofia drop to the amulet's floor in agony, watching the light swirl around Vor.
The witch tried to reach out, but bowed her head in fear as her visage faded and slowly dissolved in a final flash of light.
Sofia looked away at the sudden burst of light. As it faded, she turned back and found in place of Vor, the kneeling, nearly cowering form of Prisma. Shaking, pale and wide-eyed with horror, she gazed at Sofia before looking away, her face contorted in shame.
"Prisma? Are you okay?"
Sofia was out of breath, voice hoarse but crawled over to the older woman.
And then collapsed.
It was two beats before Prisma realized what happened. Her mouth hung open in silent shock at the sight before she dared to move.
"Sofia?!" Prisma forced herself to her feet and rushed over to the bleeding princess. Carefully turning her over, she felt her stomach clench at the sight of blood staining the once clear, innocent face.
For the first time in years, Prisma wanted to cry. Guilt surged and churned as she held the girl close.
"I'm so sorry, Sofia," Prisma trembled as her voice broke. "I never meant for this to happen." She looked around, then up, the facets of the Amulet of Avalor surrounding them as she gazed up into the faces of Sofia's family. Prisma held Sofia tighter as she tried to think of what to do next.
"Please, if you can get us out of here... hurry!" She whispered fervently as she focused on the unconscious princess.
Sofia had gone through hell trying to defeat Vor.
Yet her young, juvenile body didn't have enough strength to last after the defeat.
Prisma tried to keep herself calm. If she panicked, Sofia would be lost.
She refused to let that happen.
She couldn't let this little girl die because of this. Because of her.
Wiping away what she could as the blood was starting to stick to the child's face, Prisma gently cradled the princess.
A small whimpering sound was the only response she heard.
Thinking quickly, Prisma tried to find what she could use for bandages.
She never heard Sofia whimpering before, somewhat thankful she wasn't unconscious anymore.
But her eyes weren't opened yet. Trying to remember what happened was probably a guess.
The whimpering continued as Prisma gently sat Sofia up, seeing tears fall from the girl's eyes.
"You didn't fail. Vor's gone. You did it," Prisma smiled weakly, having never dealt with a crying child before.
It was an unusual sound.
Especially from someone so courageous and daring.
It was heartbreaking. A painful, yet somehow familiar sensation to Prisma, yet for all different reasons. Not for her, but for the first time, someone else. Someone who did not deserve it.
Sofia didn't deserve it. She was just a kid. A kid who shouldn't had dealt with Vor like she did.
Which she wouldn't have to were it not for her.
All she could do now was hope they got out. And quickly. But first... Sofia's injuries needed to be seen to.
The girl wasn't fully conscious as of yet, her cries still getting to Prisma.
But when she was, it was going to be a struggle if she displayed hate.
If she did display hate, Prisma only hoped it was for just a moment.
Sofia started to groan, slowly opening her eyes.
Her sight was blurry but she could see unexpected concern on Prisma's face.
She nearly shot up, but the painful throbbing in her head stopped her. And she forced herself to lay back down, her vision still blurry as the older woman began ripping the long sleeves off her own dress.
Sofia was confused and almost panicked as Prisma lowered the fabric towards her, certain in that instant that the woman was about to finish the job Vor started and just strangle her.
"Shh, don't move." The amazingly gentle yet firm voice and the words that fell from Prisma's lips sounded strange and alien to the girl. Almost like another person was talking. Sofia could only watch with wide, disbelieving eyes as Prisma wrapped the fabric not around her small neck, but her head, which was hurting even worse now.
It was only as Prisma pushed her bangs out of the way that Sofia realized she was bleeding. Drops of blood leaked down her face and tainted her vision as she touched her cheek with trembling hands. She had forgotten Vor striking her with lightning.
And now Prisma, of all people, was tending to her wounds; Sofia felt the makeshift bandage tighten around her head as Prisma dressed her wound. Silent as she tried to stop the young princess from losing more precious blood.
"V-Vor's gone?" Sofia spoke at last.
There were fresh tears in her eyes that were beginning to flow.
Despite it all, Prisma managed a smile.
"Yes." She answered quietly as she adjusted the cloth carefully. "For good."
The tears fell free and fast now. Sofia closed her eyes and felt immeasurable relief wash over her despite her pain. She felt herself being shifted slightly as Prisma began tending to her other injuries and Sofia was content to let her. If this was Prisma's reaction to the defeat of the evil entity, then it was clear that the light that defeated Vor must have reached her, too.
'Did it heal her?' Sofia wondered. "If it did then why am I crying?"
She was rarely a crier these days but she guess she needed a good cry after everything that happened.
For one thing it was only a miracle that she was still alive.
For another, they were still trapped in the Amulet of Avalor and she was unsure if they were going to get out. The thought of being trapped in here like Elena was for all those years filled her with fear and now her crying increased.
How did Elena STAND it? How did she keep from losing her mind all those years, Sofia wondered to herself as she felt a hand rest on her back.
"Easy now. Vor put you through hell which I guess is my fault in a way," Prisma muttered, cradling the child.
"You shouldn't apologize. Amber and I thought of this stupid plan," Sofia frowned.
Prisma shook her head, a frown deep across her face. "It wasn't stupid, it was genius and it WORKED. You STOPPED Vor." She paused. "And it's because of me that she got out. So yes, I should apologize. For that... and everything else."
Sofia's cries quieted down at this admission and was strangely comforted by it.
No matter how long it took to eventually get out of the amulet, seeing Prisma be not the cold hearted woman who tried to kill her was a refreshing change.
And though her body ached in agony, Sofia knew she had won the battle and that Vor was gone.
For good.