Mångata

Summary: Cedric invites Sofia to a mysterious and magical land known as Mångata, a location that has never been mentioned in any texts or transcripts and has only been acknowledged via word of mouth. It's here that the Magical Protectors (Sofia's nickname for their 'team') try to unravel the mystery of two friends who went missing some time ago; however, the more they uncover, the more danger they find themselves in. [Takes place when Sofia is 16.]

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First, and I don't own the name of Mångata (an untranslatable Swedish word used to express "the road-like reflection of the moon in the water" or literally "moon street"). I only own the original characters portrayed in the story, including Prince Corban. :D

A/N: Dun-dun-dun! Here comes the darkest chapter of them all. Don't get me wrong: there's still plenty of mystery after this, especially after you see what's actually going on by the end of this chapter, but this one is still probably THE darkest. 😐 Ooh. lol

Chapter 7: Mark My Words

Cedric gasped and raised his wand, aiming it in every possible direction. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Sofia shook in fear as she stared ahead. "M-Mr. Cedric, l-look…" She pointed toward the narrow corridor that led away from their current location, and out of the cave.

Before them hovered a dark entity, whose 'body' was mostly transparent and no facial features to be seen. "You have both wandered into something you never should have seen," the figure taunted, a dark rumbling undertone to its voice, followed by what sounded like whispers repeating the same words. "This cave is filled with dark magic spells and engravings depicting the results of those spells, as I'm sure you're well aware, Cedric the Great." A low chuckle followed the being's statement.

Cedric gulped once as he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked toward his friend.

"Dark magic spells?" she asked, clarifying the being's words. "That's why you're so worried about this place? What kind of dark magic is it?"

"Does it matter, Princess Sofia of Enchancia?" the entity teased, hovering closer to them, circling them slowly as the two friends held onto each other. "Dark magic is dark magic… It was created to wreak havoc and destroy lives. I quite enjoy it myself. But then again, it's my own creation, after all."

"Who are you?" the princess demanded, feeling herself growing a bit more confident, despite the situation. She may have been scared, but she wasn't going to leave without getting answers. Not when they still had two missing teens to rescue. "What do you want with us?"

"I'm rather sure you'd prefer me not to answer that question, little princess. After all, you've only ever dealt with incompetent villains in the past, most of whom have 'changed their ways' after your interference. You've never dealt with true evil before."

"Is that what you are? 'True evil?'" She frowned as the entity hovered directly before her. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Sofia…" Cedric was beyond terrified right now. Sofia wasn't aware of all the dark secrets surrounding them. She wasn't familiar with the negative energy the creature was emitting. She didn't know what she was up against. "Stop…"

"No, sorcerer," the being declared, an amused tone to its voice. "Your precious princess wants to know how she can believe my identity. Not that I can blame her. She's a rather smart girl, after all, and she's faced some less-than-challenging people in the past. So, if you really want to know, Princess Sofia, all you need to do is take a look behind you."

Sofia turned, along with Cedric, and gasped as the green liquid stopped spouting out its fountain. Instead, within the pool she could see what appeared to be… "A-Are those…people in there?"

The being laughed. "No! They are souls… Pitiful fools who thought they could outsmart me. And that pool you see will lead you to my dwelling: the Land of Perdition. I believe you Ever Realm dwellers call it the 'Underworld.' How charming."

The princess gasped before looking toward Cedric, who stared at her with a pale face. She could tell he was beyond afraid right now, and since she now knew the situation they were currently in, she couldn't blame him. They were literally faced with evil itself. Still… "What happened to Rayasenia and Mordecai?"

"You certainly are far braver than your friend," the entity remarked, something akin to bewilderment lining its tone. "You want to know what happened to them? I took care of those two long ago…"

Cedric finally found his voice as he asked, "What happened to them?"

The dark figure circled them a couple of times, declaring, "I fail to see why it should matter to you. After all, it happened centuries ago…"

The Enchancians were startled and baffled by this information. Centuries ago? Were they chasing ghosts now?

"We need to get out of here," Cedric told Sofia, grabbing her hand and rushing toward the entrance.

"Not so fast." The being cackled as an invisible barrier appeared before the friends, blasting them back against the ground. It sneered at them as they sat up, holding onto each other. "Isn't that adorable? You know, in a way, you two are a lot like those missing teenagers: both outcasts in your own right, both magical, both very protective of each other…and both just as likely to fall prey to an attack." It approached them in a painstakingly slow and portentous manner, forcing them backwards toward the green pool of liquid, which now had a host of weary moans and groans chorusing from within. "All the friendship in the world couldn't save the likes of Mordecai and Rayasenia. You will both meet the same fate, and there will be no more Cedric and Sofia… No more 'Magical Protectors.' No more best friends."

Sofia reached up to her amulet, which surprisingly returned to its normal pink color at her touch, just as they reached the cusp of the pool. She glared at the wicked being. "That's what you think." With her free arm, she held onto Cedric. "We wish to be in Chief Tahoma's village right now!" In a blink, the friends disappeared.

The cave stilled, the fountain returning to its normal state and the eerie groaning ceasing. However, the entity remained, and if it could produce any form of facial features, it would have been smirking sinisterly. "Have it your way then… I enjoy a challenge." With that, the being evaporated into thin air.

Cedric and Sofia gasped as they reappeared in the village directly outside of the stone house that the chief had provided for them. They sighed in relief when they realized that nothing had followed them. However, they now had more questions than answers, and only one person could possibly help satisfy their queries.

"Chief Tahoma," Cedric began sharply as he and the princess approached the man, who was seated alone by the fire. He gulped quietly as the man's dark eyes peered dangerously at him. "I, um…" He cleared his throat, trying to regain his nerve. "We saw and heard some…interesting things in those caves."

"And?" the chief asked, folding his arms.

Sofia frowned at the man's strange attitude. "You didn't tell us that they disappeared centuries ago…"

"I was trying to, but you two did not want to listen. I warned you of the danger of seeking out the truth…" He sighed. "According to the legend, Rayasenia fell protecting Mordecai from a magical attack."

Cedric blinked. "What do you mean, 'fell?' As in…?"

The chief closed his eyes. "Her body was discovered days after they'd gone missing…" He opened his eyes when Sofia gasped. "But Mordecai was gone; he was never seen again, and no one seems to know what happened to him."

Cedric and Sofia exchanged glances, shock etched into their faces.

"Seeking out the truth is a noble prospect," Chief Tahoma informed the friends as he stood up. "However, it can also be quite a dangerous thing. I'm sure you are now well aware what resides in those caves…" Seeing them nod uncertainly, he warned them, "If you know what's good for you, you will end your search now. Some questions cannot be answered, and you will have to be all right with that." With his declaration spoken, he turned and walked away.

"I feel like something still isn't right," Sofia murmured to Cedric later that night as they were in their stone hut yet again, lying on their mats and facing each other like the previous night. "I just feel like I'm missing something…"

"Perhaps Chief Tahoma is correct," Cedric consented. "We want so badly for there to be a happy ending, that we…" He sighed. "We can't handle the idea of that not being possible."

"A happy ending," she repeated, her eyes narrowing as she came to a realization. "Mr. Cedric, this is supposed to be a Story Keeper quest… I'm supposed to give these stories a happy ending. It's part of the job."

He nodded. "And?"

"And… Now that I think about it, even though this situation just seems so unfinished and even more mysterious than before, the First Story Keeper—er, the narrator—never did say anything about my job being to solve the problem. So, I…" She groaned in frustration and rubbed her hands down her face. "I'm so confused…"

Cedric reached out toward her and took one of her hands, smiling reassuringly at her as she sighed.

"If Rayasenia passed away, all those years ago… What did happen to Mordecai? And even if he's still alive by some miracle, how are we supposed to find him?"

"We will figure that out later. Tomorrow is Wassailia, and we need to leave early to get back to Enchancia to celebrate with your family." He placed one hand on her head, gently combing his fingers through her hair to get her to calm down. "You need to get some sleep, Sofia."

She stared at her friend uncertainly. "I'll try…" She closed her eyes, relaxing a bit as Cedric gently stroked her hair. She soon blinked her eyes open and glanced toward him one more time. "Mr. Cedric?"

He smiled tiredly. "Hmm?"

"That…that whatever-it-was in the cave said that you and I are a lot like those teens…" She frowned. "What if…? What if something happens to us, like what happened to them?" Her expression changed to one of concern as he stilled his hand. "I don't want to lose you…" She reached up and tried to stop any tears from welling up in her eyes. Just the thought of losing Cedric scared her. After all they'd been through, that fear was getting worse…

"Oh, Sofia… Come here." He sat up and carefully pulled her into his arms, hugging her and resting his head against hers as she sniffled. "My darling girl, you won't lose me. And I have no intention of losing you. I promise you that." He expected a response, but she was quiet aside from her steady breathing. He gently rocked her back and forth. "Get some rest. We'll figure it all out tomorrow…"

Several minutes later, Cedric checked and found that his friend was fast asleep. He carefully lowered her onto her mat and covered her with the blanket. Then he slid his mat a bit closer to hers and lay down, pulling his own blanket up as he observed her. He knew that she was scared of losing him… He'd already lost her once before during the summer of Mahiya, and that had nearly destroyed him. He didn't intend on letting that happen again. He summoned the thick woolen blanket from last night and draped it over them. "Good night, Sofia…" He reached over and gently clasped his hand around hers before falling asleep.

Meanwhile, all was not well in Mångata, for the darkness was a friend of malice, and it hid the reality within.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Misleading