A/N: Sorry for the late update! I've had a lot of things going on IRL that have recently kind of taken over. Hopefully I'll be able to get posting regularly again very soon! Also, new cover title! 3


Sofia clung to Cedric in the confines of the mountain castle.

Theophilus had gotten them just inside and sat them in the throne room, before Sofia had worriedly mentioned Minimus and Wormwood, both of whom had been attacked by Bartholomew. Theophilus rushed back outside to retrieve the two animals, leaving Sofia and Cedric alone. Dolphus was still outside, most likely killing the remaining soldiers who'd witnessed Cedric and Theophilus's wandless magic.

Cedric lay slumped on the marble floor, breathing labored. He wasn't bleeding, though his clothes were quite torn and a few large patches of skin raw. The side of Sofia's head throbbed where she'd been hit earlier, dried blood on her face and in her hair. She leaned towards Cedric, resting her head on his shoulder. The sorcerer put his arm around her, pulling her closer.

Her temporary spells to make herself seem male had worn out just a little after crossing the border earlier, and the remaining armor was beginning to make her feel stuffy. Sofia began peeling them off, dropping the heavy metal on the ground piece by piece. Cedric hovered his hands awkwardly over her, wanting to help but not wanting to invade her space without permission. She chuckled, giving a loud sigh of relief when the final piece of armor had clunked upon the floor. In only a pair of white pants and a white undershirt, Sofia curled once again up against Cedric. He placed his arm around her a second time, pulling her body closer.

Cedric wanted her closer, but was unsure of how to go about expressing it.

Sofia slowly moved herself closer, testing how far he'd allow her to go. She inched her way onto his lap, leaning against his chest, warm with his arms around her. She could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"Sofia," Cedric finally broke the silence, resting his chin on the top of her head. "How did you know where I was?"

"You can't escape me." She looked up to him, a grin on her face. He looked so weary, and yet he was still so handsome. The princess reached up to fix his messy gray bangs.

"I—" he looked to her with wide, confused eyes, at first unsure of how to respond. Was she… flirting, perhaps? Was she joking? Why did it matter so much to him? Finally the sorcerer composed himself. "Well, I wouldn't want to, Princess." He grinned in jest, giving her a firm squeeze in his arms.

Sofia smiled even wider, her eyes looking directly into his, arms moving to wrap around his neck. She leaned closer and gave the sorcerer a tight hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. Her heart felt about to burst; she was overjoyed that she had him again, warm and alive in her arms. They were in a bad situation, and she knew that, but it felt so good just to know he was okay and they were together.

"I missed you," Sofia said in the side of his neck, tears threatening to spill. "I thought you might've been dead!"

"It's alright, I'm here." Cedric felt guilt tugging at his heart. "Come, Sofia—you must be tired."

He got up, pulling the princess to her feet and leading her down the dark halls, stopping at his room. Sofia was gingerly led to the bed, where Cedric made sure she laid down and was comfortable, before briskly leaving. He returned a few minutes later with food and drink in hand, smiling at Sofia's obvious joy at the sight.

Cedric attempted to light the candle on the desk with his hand, but couldn't bring the flame out of his palm. The closest he managed was heating up his fingers, and the sorcerer gave a frustrated sigh as he eventually gave up. Sofia watched curiously, mouth full, big blue eyes bloodshot.

"Cedric," she called quietly, voice soft. He turned from the candle, looking to her. "How did you do that back there? The magic, I mean. You… you didn't use a wand. And neither did that—that dog thing…"

"It's wandless magic, Sofia." Cedric murmured, moving to sit at the end of the bed. "I'm learning many things from the mages."

"Cedric, I'm scared. These mages, they aren't like the people from Enchancia. Or any other mages I know of, for that matter. They could be—"

"I know, I know." Cedric looked down to his hands, voice tired but annoyed. "But I'm not like the people from Enchancia either, am I? Besides, we need protection—the kingdom needs protection."

"The kingdom has protection, Ced—"

"Sofia, you saw that brute out there attacking you!" Cedric moved closer, eyes pleading. "He's from Izuvell, he's one of their sorcerers. That savage, he's only one of twelve! There's no way I can sit back and let some—some swine such as him take over my—our—castle! I will not let them hurt you, or—or anyone else, for that matter!" Cedric was getting worked up, and Sofia leaned over, touching his arm in an attempt to calm him.

"It's okay," Sofia moved to hug him tight again. "It's no use arguing over it now… we're already here, after all. We'll get through it. We'll find a way, Cedric."

They stayed close for a while. Cedric hadn't let anyone so close in his personal space in his whole life. Ever since he could remember, he didn't like people getting so near him, whether physically or mentally or emotionally. It had always felt awkward and uncomfortable. Now, however, the sorcerer felt like a broken child in need of a loving touch. The warmth of arms around his slim waist and reassuring words whispered in his ear felt good.

The two were soon broken out of their moment at the sound of shouting.

"We have no time for forest fires and unjust apprentices!" Dolphus's voice was muffled through the walls. His voice sounded angry, but there was an undertone that rang of something akin to great desperation. "Here the rest of us have been hard at work in preparation and you're off playing schoolteacher!"

Theophilus's voice was too soft to hear what he was saying, but it was clear he was attempting to calm the other man down.

"No, no way. We've got a royal sorcerer and a—a woman in one room, and a damn Pegasus and raven in another! We aren't some kind of charity organization, much less a zoo!" Dolphus sounded furious. Stomping noises and a loud bang rang throughout the castle.

Again Theophilus's hushed voice came, but the other mage was not having it. Dolphus went on ranting and raving, before finally seeming to calm down a tad. "You know why we can't do this, Theo." Dolphus said, voice still slightly raised. "It isn't fair. It isn't fair for us to pick personal favorites. It isn't fair to give this sorcerer free magic lessons and not any others suffering just the same as him. It's unjust. Don't you get that?"

Theophilus spoke again, but Cedric was only able to catch a few words. "Dolphus, hush… circumstances… suspicious… cannot let… preparation…"

"You're hopeless Theophilus, I swear. Those men out there—their blood's on you."

Another loud bang, more stomping. Sofia held tight to Cedric's robe as the thunderous footsteps neared the open door of their room, and Dolphus appeared walking through the hall. The mage paused briefly to glance in at the two, his blue eyes cold and calculating. Half-dried blood soaked the black-haired wizard, a few splatters having even reached his face. Sofia's hands held tight around Cedric, and she pulled herself as close to him as she possibly could.

Some of the guards must've been very much alive still, Cedric thought. A dead or otherwise unconscious man would never have bled so far out and in so many directions, would they? Dolphus should've had the knowledge to kill them with little to no mess. They must've fought.

Briefly Cedric wondered what he would do in such a situation. He was a villain enough by now to kill without a thought… wasn't he?

Dolphus continued his way down the long halls, and Theophilus was next to appear in the doorway, ears set back a bit and eyes narrow. His face lifted up a bit at the sight of Cedric and Sofia huddled together on the bed, but fell yet again as Sofia moved to hide her face.

"It's okay, Sofia." Cedric rubbed the Princess's back. "Theophilus is good."

Sofia slowly peeked back up at the canine-faced mage, observing him carefully. The dogface was unsettling. He appeared to be something of a pit/akita mix, with a heavy black cloak of a style she didn't see often but could recognize as a Victorian style. Perhaps one of his strangest attributes were his eyes, strangely colored with bright yellows and reds. It was likely a result of a spell, though that didn't make it any less unsettling. Upon the mage's cloak hung a strange symbol—a plus sign within a circle, the ends extending outside of the circle. Another circle lay inside of the plus sign…

Theophilus's eyes followed Sofia's, realizing they were directed at the iron symbol hanging from his chest. He gestured to it, a smile light on his face. "Do you know what this is?" his voice came out soft, as if afraid to scare the young woman. When Sofia shook her head he went on, "It's a Celtic cross, my dear."

"What does it mean?" she sat up a little more.

"Well, it means many things…" he stepped closer cautiously. "Hope, unity, life, balance… indicating the human desire to know and experience the mysteries of life… representing the meeting place of the divine energies…"

Sofia couldn't say she fully understood what he was saying—the man seemed to be rambling. His voice, however, was profound. He sounded unthreatening, and it comforted her to hear. The dog's ears rose, nose twitching. He looked big and dangerous, and yet innocent in some strange way. The princess laid her had against Cedric's shoulder, observing the canine creature before her. Theophilus eventually realized he was going on too long and looked up to the couple on the bed.

"Ah—sorry, I came here to ask if you'd like me to lead you to your own room." Theophilus looked to Sofia, waiting for a reply.

"I, uh…" Sofia's fingers tightened around Cedric's clothes. She looked to him, to those yellow-brown eyes she knew so well. "I'd like to, ah, stay here… if I can?" the princess begged Cedric with her eyes, and he seemed surprised, cheeks flushed.

"W-w-well of course you can…" Cedric murmured, reddened face turning to the canine.

"As you wish." Theophilus bowed his head. If he felt any emotion, it didn't show. The mage wished them a good night, gently closing the door. His footsteps echoed gingerly down the hall.

For a while after, Cedric and Sofia sat together in a silent embrace. Eventually the sorcerer offered the princess the extra dress shirt he'd brought along, and she took it gratefully, pulling on. Sofia smiled as she looked down to the dark green fabric, baggy on her body. Cedric left the candle on, awkwardly crawling back into the bed, pulling the covers over himself and the princess. The sorcerer was obviously unsure of what to do. He lay across from Sofia, face hot and desperate. He searched her face.

Sofia scooted closer, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him towards her. Cedric followed her hands as they dragged him, unable to say no, hypnotized by those eyes he'd grown to be so captivated by. Sofia buried her face into his chest. The tears began few, ultimately turning to sobs and wailing within Cedric's embrace. The sorcerer didn't know what to do at first, eventually moving to snake his arms around her protectively. His grip tightened and he pushed his face into her hair, fighting his own urge to cry.

"I missed you so much." Sofia whimpered. "I-I thought you were gone."

"I'm right here," he whispered, heart wrenching. "I'm fine, Sofia. I only wanted to protect you. I'm sorry."

They lay like that for a while. A part of Sofia wanted to slap him, and another part of her wanted to grab his face in her hands and kiss him. She was angry that he'd left her, angry that he'd gotten them in such a situation, scared that they were never going to be able to fully escape these mages, scared that her kingdom would be doomed—and yet there was happiness somewhere in there, bubbling within her core. She was joyous that Cedric was alive, that she was in his arms and he wasn't pushing her away like usual and she could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest.

Finally Sofia pulled her head up, hair splayed over her pillow like a halo. She looked at him, and he looked back.

Cedric looked tired—even more so than he usually did. The bags under his eyes were prominent, white bangs muddled and black hair unkempt. The man's clothes were wrinkled and lips slightly upturned. It was obvious he'd been under a lot of stress. The sorcerer's mind had always been a lethal thing, and never had it been more evident. Cedric was a mess of a man, no doubt. But he was a mess Sofia had fallen in love with. He was a mess she wanted to be with forever.

His eyes shifted momentarily to her lips, and then back up to her eyes.

He wanted to ask her why she tortured him so. Why she followed him, why she pursued him and taunted him when he knew he could not have her. In all his life Cedric had never been so tempted—not even the promise of a kingdom or jewels or treasures abound could deter him from wanting her most. But she was not like him, and he knew that. He knew that she had duties to her kingdom to uphold; responsibilities that ultimately would take her away. Cedric could chase her all he wanted and yet he knew—he knew that right when he'd have her, right when she was in his arms and all seemed secure and sheltered within his grasp, she'd be swept from right under him. It wasn't fair. It was like a cruel joke played upon the sorcerer. The world was against him.

Sofia slowly leaned forward, and Cedric couldn't help but follow suit. He could feel her breath on his lips, big blue eyes staring intently into his own. He looked back desperately, hungrily.

At the last minute Cedric veered his head, resting his lips upon Sofia's forehead.

The man's self-control was running thin, and he knew that if something were to happen he wouldn't be able to contain himself. Never had he felt so much emotion towards one person before. If it all came pouring out at once, Cedric doubted he'd be capable of holding back.

Sofia's disappointment was evident.

It was just a crush, Cedric wanted to tell her. It was a crush that she would eventually get over—because crushes were, more or less, irrational. Sofia was a princess, youthful and only just starting out in her journey of life. She didn't need anyone holding her down, especially not a bumbling old sorcerer twice her age. One day she'd be forced to wed, to have another man's royal children, and help hold up another far off kingdom somewhere in the distance. One day she'd realize her feeling were no more than a fascination with magic—an illogical attraction to the unknown that had nothing to do with Cedric himself, because Cedric was unlovable and unattractive and unpleasant.

They slept huddled face to face, trying to forget the dreadful situation of which they had found themselves in.


The following morning Cedric crept out of bed carefully, allowing Sofia to sleep in as he got himself presentable and headed to the library, where his books were waiting. The castle appeared to be empty, and even through the glass-like walls Cedric didn't see a soul. It was not his business where the mages left to in their spare time, and he kept that in mind, though curiosity did get to him every now and again. He had to wonder where they got their food from, how they made a living, what exactly they did in far off kingdoms around the world, how they got there and why.

Sofia eventually woke up, and Cedric found her wandering the halls fearfully calling his name. The sorcerer led the princess to the kitchen, where she wolfed down a variety of pastries, and they moved on to searching the castle for Minimus and Wormwood. They found the creatures in a vacant room not far off from their own, Minimus standing with bandages galore and Wormwood more or less unscathed preening himself on a nightstand.

In all his years Cedric had never been so happy to see his feathered companion. Wormwood flew to the sorcerer's shoulder, rubbing his beak against the side of the man's neck affectionately. Minimus was having trouble moving around, the stiff dressing restricting his movement. One of his ears was torn and a couple teeth a little chipped, but his wounds were nonfatal. Sofia leapt forward and immediately doting on the Pegasus. Cedric left them alone, taking Wormwood with him back to the library.

It was hard for the royal sorcerer to focus, and Cedric found himself distracted by the thought of Sofia being alone in the castle somewhere. He kept getting up and wandering around, attempting to keep constant tabs on the princess. The progress being made on his magic slowed direly, but he couldn't help it. Cedric wanted to make sure she was okay, that she wasn't in need of help, that she was safe.

Eventually Cedric remembered the ballroom, and excitedly took Sofia's hand in his own, leading her towards the dark and dusty section of the castle. She was at first hesitant, though seeing Cedric's smile eased her tension. The sorcerer pulled her through the large elegant doors and let go of her hands, momentarily leaving her in the dark as he moved to light the candles with his hands.

"Oh, Cedric!" Sofia gasped delightedly as the ballroom lit up. "It's beautiful!"

"I knew you'd like it." Cedric smiled, making his way to the princess as she studied the dirty staircase. He went on, "It's rather unclean, but stunning nonetheless, I'd say. Apparently their mage Rosemary had been the last one to clean the place, and she went missing a decade or so ago."

"How could you have such a breathtaking ballroom and not use it?" Sofia wondered out loud as she eyed the intricate designs of the vines and passion flowers hand-painted on the walls.

"A pity, isn't it?" Theophilus stood in the large doorway, a smile upon his lips. "Balls were held here, long ago. Rosemary always wanted to have another, so she kept the place spiff." He paused momentarily, eyes drifting to the see-through walls.

"She never got to have a ball here?" Sofia asked sadly.

"No," Theophilus frowned. "She was a historian, but also a dreamer. I suppose it wasn't as much the ball itself she wanted so badly as the prospect of dancing with a certain someone."

There was a pause. Sofia looked around the ballroom desolately. Finally she spoke, "What if I clean the place up? Could we hold a ball?"

Theophilus's eyes found their way to the princess, and he stood unmoving for several seconds. Finally his ears twitched, tongue flicking out to wet his nose. "I think that would be a fabulous idea—ah, Sofia, was it?"

"Princess Sofia of Enchancia." She nodded gratefully.

Theophilus looked taken aback, eyes widened and mouth agape. Cedric bit his lip, hoping the canine wouldn't be upset that they were now harboring Enchancia's royal sorcerer and princess within their castle grounds. Finally the mage let loose what appeared to be a nervous chuckle, shaking his head.

"Oh, dear." He chortled. "Well just don't tell Dolphus that, eh?"

"Will do." Cedric nodded firmly.

"Well have fun then, Princess Sofia. I do hope you enjoy your time with us." Theophilus turned to leave, before turning his head slightly and murmuring over his shoulder, "By the way, another of the mages is here. Godric is by far the strangest of us, though I assure you he's harmless." The mage held a hand up and waved as he left, leaving the doors ajar in his departure from the ballroom.

If even Theophilus thought that this other mage was strange, Cedric wasn't sure he wanted to meet him. Hell, if he hadn't met the strangest of the bunch already the sorcerer was beginning to question his personal choices. Could you even get much stranger than a walking anthropomorphic dog mage?

Sofia seemed pacified for the time being, immediately moving to gather cleaning supplies from a nearby supply closet that looked as if it hadn't been touched for years on end. Cedric ordered Wormwood to stay and help the princess, momentarily leaving to check on Minimus upon Sofia's request, and then retreating back to the library.

Cedric picked up his next book—Magic is Energy—sighing as he opened to the first page and began reading the tiny text compiled untidily on the parchment. He'd asked Theophilus once before how there were so many books on wandless magic if the practice was virtually unknown to the world. The canine mage spoke of a fairly sized obscure tribe living in what used to be an uncharted island for several centuries that had founded many normal magical practices known in the modern world. It was from this tribe that others learned of the possibility of using staffs, metal rods, and a variety of objects implanted within a person's flesh in place of wands.

The tribe was much further than the rest of the world as far as magic went—having already discovered and studied the prospects of wandless magic enough to have a large array of hand-written novels on the subject. The tribe was eventually discovered, its people watched and culture carefully calculated by several neighboring kingdoms interested in what it had to offer. Soon enough the rumor had escaped that the tribe had made massive breakthroughs in magic-wielding. Word eventually reached the mages in the mountain.

Valerius, afraid of the possibilities of man finding out about wandless magic, had the tribe wiped out within a single night, leaving only a small portion of books and artifacts in his wake, of which were all collected by the other mages and brought to the castle. Rumors of the event and lost magical potential surfaced. Those who'd originally made contact with the tribe remained strong in their claims, though even these first-hand witness accounts soon faded into nothing more than tales among the people.

This was the first time Cedric found himself truly wondering the exact intent of the mages, and whether or not it was a good idea for him to have come to them. If they would to go as far as wiping out an entire civilization in order to keep a secret, who knew what else they'd be capable of. Surely they'd have no problem getting rid of Cedric if need be. Would he even be able to return home knowing the secrets of wandless magic?

In the end Cedric decided he didn't quite care. He wanted to protect Enchancia—to protect Sofia. Let the princess have a life, a chance to be the wonderful Queen Cedric knew she'd be. If that meant dying in the process, he'd gladly give up his life.


Cedric was about a quarter of the way into the book when it was snatched from his grasp. The sorcerer grunted in annoyance, gazing up into a pale face and pearly white grin. The man looked to be not much older than Cedric, with unruly pastel brown hair lazily gelled back and a stately goatee. The man's skin was pale to the point of looking bloodless, with strange tiger-like stripes tattooed several place around his body. His eyes were a strange shade of purple, with flecks of an icy blue.

"Magic is Energy, aye?" the man read the book's title aloud, a hand stroking his goatee. "You won't get much use out of that, let me tell you…" He grew a bored look, throwing the book aside and moving to search through the pile of books Cedric still had left to read. The sorcerer wasn't sure what to do, raising his hands in attempts to stop the mage and yet not doing or saying anything.

"Ah, um, can you—can you stop?" Cedric asked nervously. The other paused, turning to Cedric with an unnatural smile splayed across his face. Finally the unsettling man reached a hand out, and Cedric took it hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you—the name's Godric." The man shook Cedric's hand vigorously. He then turned back to the books, digging through them briskly, whispering their titles under his breath.

"May I ask what you are doing?" Cedric asked, crossing his arms.

"Well everyone knows magic is energy. Theophilus could've given you a simple rundown instead of having you read a whole book!" Godric shook his head. "It's an easy thing to grasp, really. Cedric, was it?"

Cedric nodded.

"You see, Cedric—here, I'll give you the gist of it. You've probably figured out by now that magic doesn't come from thin air. If we could conjure magic from nothing, it would give any single person limitless power."

"But magic is limitless." Cedric interjected.

"The possibilities are what is limitless. But in order to create, you must give up something in return—equivalent exchange, they call it. People use wands to centralize their magic, not to generate magic. This is why wandless magic is possible."

"So it comes from within the individual, you're saying?"

"As I said, it is equivalent exchange. The person is using their own energy to produce magic as they please, manipulating life essence to do the incredible. But, as life is limited, so is the amount of magic a single individual can produce at once. Use up too much of your own energy at once and—poof!—you're dead."

Cedric had never seen someone die from using too much magic, nor had he ever heard of anyone managing any such a feat. The amount of energy needed to completely extinguish one's own life force seemed inconceivable; one could possibly take out a whole kingdom's men in an instant before reaching a death point. Such magic was unheard of. Perhaps using a wand was, though much easier, also much more limited.

"The force of such magic would explode any wand or staff before a person could manage death, though." Godric went on, eyes unblinking. "Only a person having complete control over their own inner essence could ever manage to kill themselves in such a way. It would take a power moving quicker than the body's energy can replenish itself."

"I never thought of magic and life essence as being so closely connected…" Cedric admitted, staring off in thought. He looked down to his own hands as they lay on the library table, attempting to see or feel his own life as if it were some tangible force within and thinly surrounding him.

"Everything's connected." Godric said, almost bitterly. He had a thin frown upon his face. "Life and death, virtue and evil, love and hate. That's why we mages in this castle associate ourselves with neither extreme… we're stuck in limbo, so to speak."

"That doesn't sound… enjoyable." Cedric immediately thought of Sofia—of loving her, of wanting to save her, of wanting to grow old and perish with her.

"It's how things go." Godric stood. "If you want to enter the castle of glass, you leave your humanity at the door."

"How can I do that?" Cedric argued, standing abruptly as if to stop the red-cloaked mage. "My humanity is what keeps me going. My love and my hate and my struggle to remain virtuous and to die a known man—that's all that keeps me striving for more. If I leave that all at the door, what's the point anymore?"

"I see." Godric at first looked like he was going to be angry, before a smile slowly spread over his face. "You've got promise, Cedric." He concluded gladly, exiting the library.

Cedric slumped back in the chair, frustrated fists slamming on the table. The mages confused and angered him to no end, and though it was better than being belittled and mocked as he was in Enchancia, it still wasn't enjoyable. The sorcerer wondered if he'd ever find peace in his life, or if he was damned to be surrounded by either outlandish or cruel others his whole life.

Then again, Cedric himself was rather cruel. Perhaps he belonged in Enchancia. Maybe they were meant to be taken down.

And yet, Sofia… she was not cruel. Sofia was a diamond among rocks—a single needle within a haystack. Every time Cedric found himself simply wanting to let the kingdom rot for all it had done to him, she brought him back. Not many would've ever thought it possible to keep a villain fighting on the good side so diligently—then again, not many knew Sofia.


A/N: Sorry, I know that Godric's name is really close to Cedric's name ;-; I've had Godric as an OC even before I got into the StF fandom and just couldn't bring myself to change his name when adding him to the story