A Pirate's Life
Summary: Chrysta recruits Sofia and Cedric to go undercover as new members of a notorious magical pirate crew run by the wicked Captain Caegan. While aboard the ship The Barracuda, the friends must determine the captain's plans and figure out how to stop them; meanwhile, Cedric notices an interesting change in his partner while on their mission. (Sofia is 17. Artwork by MarionetteJ2X!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First. The cover photo was created by the amazing artist MarionetteJ2X! 😊 I do, however, own the OCs, including but not limited to Captain Caegan, Muscles, Marty, Wiggles, Garnette, and Duchess.
A/N: Last chapter, guys! After this, there will be an "intermission" in my writing, so to speak. Lol. I'm going to get everything organized for the next few stories and post on my bio page when things are out. As always, just keep an eye out for new things. There are plenty of exciting adventures and surprises coming your way. 😊 I'm especially excited about a new project I've gotten to work on with a good friend, so yay! 😉 Hope you enjoy!
PS: Our Internet has a massive outage in our area, so I may not be around much the next few days. Sorry about that!
Chapter 11: The Seas of Change
A few days after they'd returned to Enchancia, Cedric went looking for Sofia. She'd mentioned something about needing some time to clear her mind, so he'd respected that. A number of hours after the request, he had to wonder if she was all right. They hadn't yet met for any discussions or collaborations, so he was a bit concerned.
After conversing with one of the guards, he discovered that the princess had traveled down to the water to relax. With this information in mind, he walked down to the edge of the water, where he saw his friend sitting on a gray blanket, her sorceress robe-dress on (which indicated to him that she'd had plans to visit him today, but perhaps she got distracted), and her hair tied back into a loose braid. She seemed to be absorbed with the water as it reflected the sunlight and floated along peacefully. Peace and tranquility… "Maybe one of these days, we'll know what that's like," he muttered quietly to himself as he walked down to where his partner sat.
Sofia didn't even look up when Cedric sat down next to her. In fact, they sat in silence for a few moments before she finally sighed happily. "It's nice, isn't it?"
"What?"
She smiled before looking toward him. "The quiet. The water. Enchancia… Just, everything I took for granted before… I appreciate it so much more now. Because I know that no matter where we go, we can always come back here." She frowned thoughtfully as she wrapped her arms around her legs. "But I can feel that things are still changing, and I know they're going to get more complicated as time goes on."
She had a point. Amber and Desmond would be married (likely within a year). James was a full-time knight. Sofia added, jokingly, "I have more roles than I know what to do with." She smiled as Cedric chuckled. "I just hope I can adjust to all the changes."
"You're more adept than you realize, Sofia." He gently nudged her, causing her to giggle. "You've been able to adapt to your surroundings and take on new challenges. Sure, some of them may not always turn out right, but the wonderful thing about you is that you try. You try your hardest at everything, and that's commendable."
Sofia smiled softly, folding her arms over her knees, resting her head on them as she looked toward her friend. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric."
"I think it's time that you and I take a break. And I know just where to go, if you're up for some treats and familiar faces." He gave her a mischievous smile, watching as her blue eyes twinkled in interest.
"Really? And where is that?"
"I was thinking Mystic Meadows." He laughed as she grinned at his suggestion. "We haven't been there in some time, and my mother was just asking about you the other day."
"Aww. I'd love to go. Right now?" she asked enthusiastically, laughing as he nodded. "All right! You go get the AutoCoach, and I'll go tell my parents."
Cedric smiled and shook his head, amused by his excited friend, as she took off toward the castle. "And off we go again."
A few hours later, the friends were situated in Goodwyn's and Winifred's home, relaxing after having eaten a wonderful meal (something they hadn't gotten while on the pirate ship). They'd done a great bit of talking, informing the older couple of many of their adventures, when Goodwyn finally spoke up.
"It sounds as though you have both been rather busy," he said thoughtfully, stroking his beard as he seemed to be a bit distracted. "It's both interesting and, in my humble opinion, wonderful that the two of you are acting as not only Magical Ambassadors, but also agents for peace."
"Agents for peace," Sofia repeated, smiling. "I really like that."
"Just add it to your list," Cedric joked, chuckling as she playfully rolled her eyes before leaning against his shoulder. He then directed his attention back to Goodwyn, frowning curiously. "Father, are you all right? You seem a bit distracted."
"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, Cedric." He adjusted the hat on his head before clearing his throat. "Just a bit tired, I suppose."
"Oh, for goodness sake, Goody," Winifred scoffed, shaking her head. "Just tell them already. They're clearly more than capable of handling distressing news."
Sofia sat up, a nervous feeling washing over her. "Distressing…news?" She frowned. "Nothing's wrong with you guys, right? Like, you're not sick or anything?"
Goodwyn chuckled at the kind-hearted princess's concern. "Nothing like that, Princess Sofia. We're all right." He looked toward Cedric. "I'm afraid it's a bit on a grander scale, actually."
Cedric inhaled slowly before sighing, nodding. "Go ahead."
"I've received some rather…interesting news recently." He folded his arms. "It seems the Conjuror's Board is facing an uprising of some sorts, and there appears to be a magic-stealing or, at the very least, magic-manipulating infiltrator on the board."
"Even the Conjuror's Board isn't exempt from malice," Winifred informed them, shaking her head. "It's gotten a bit more questionable in recent years, if you ask me."
"It doesn't really surprise me," Sofia admitted with a small sigh. "It seems like the higher of a position some people have, the more corrupt they become."
"Never a truer statement uttered, my dear," Cedric murmured to her as she glanced at him. He then asked his father, "Is there anything being done about it?"
Before the older man could respond, Sofia blinked as her Enchantlet activated, and Chrysta appeared before them all. "Chrysta?"
"Hey, Sofia!" she greeted cheerfully. "Oh, and someone else wants to see you too." She stepped aside, showing Wiggles, Muscles, Marty, and Garnette waving at her.
Sofia grinned. "Hey, you guys! How do you like the Mystic Isles?"
"It's awesome up here!" Wiggles gushed. "I met some mermaid lady named Juliette, and she introduced me to somethin' called kelp cookies!"
"Uh, yum," the princess responded with a strained smile. "Good for you, Wiggles."
"Wiggles?" Winifred laughed.
Sofia nudged Cedric gently and nodded toward Garnette and Marty, who appeared to be holding hands. She whispered to him, "I told you!"
He smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, Sofia, the reason I'm calling…" Chrysta turned the Enchantlet back in her direction. "We've gotten word that there's an issue in your realm. The Conjuror's Board seems to be facing an upheaval, and some criminal mastermind is corrupting all kinds of magic and spells."
"How is that for irony?" Goodwyn glanced at his wife, who shrugged.
"Think you can handle it?"
Sofia sighed with a smile on her face, glancing toward Cedric, who shrugged. She then looked back toward Chrysta. "We're on it." She waved to the reformed pirates before deactivating her Enchantlet. "I guess some things never change."
The end (and to be continued in "Power Struggle")