(A/N: Wise Owl, I'm not entirely certain I understand your review. Amber figuring Cedfia out? Was that a typo? Amber already knows they're courting. What she figured out is that Cedric didn't mess up the spell and that he's told at least one lie about the accident.
I own nothing!)
"I lost a great deal of my memory of that morning… It took a long time for me to remember the little bit that I do."
Sofia sat in her bedroom window seat reading before going to bed. Or was as close to reading as she could get. The words just couldn't seem to distract her mind from her worries.
The sorceress princess had returned earlier that evening from her protector duties. She and Cedric were going to talk to Roland after she returned. Unfortunately, the monarch had been out all day so that chat hadn't happened.
Not only that, but Sofia had noticed Amber and Cedric both acting a little strange. Neither would elaborate when asked.
Sighing, the sorceress princess leaned against a pillow in her window seat and closed her eyes.
"I wish I knew why they're acting so strange."
Unexpectedly, a throbbing ache in her temple emerged. One she had not felt since Cedric let her know he was in the amulet.
.
Cedric was standing over a cauldron, looking at its contents. His eyes furrowed with confusion.
"Who is that?"
Whatever Cedric was looking at shifted and he recoiled as if a venomous snake had been dropped in front of him. Several emotions crossed his face- recognition, fear, and shock just being a few of them.
"Merlin's mushrooms! What happened to you?"
Cedric waved his family wand over the cauldron and the image he was looking at disappeared though a strange concoction in the cauldron continued to bubble and hiss.
"That can't be true. There's no way! That spell was a fad."
Cedric turned and looked at the cauldron which had yet to stop bubbling and hissing. He looked into it again but the image did not return.
Unexpectedly, a knock sounded on the door and it opened up. Cedric gasped when he realized who was there.
"Mr. Cedric!"
"Merlin's mushrooms! Sofia!"
The bubbling concoction hissed once more and exploded.
.
Sofia sat straight up, heart pounding and mind racing.
"What was that?" Sofia asked breathlessly.
She glanced down at the amulet, which was faintly sparkling. Sofia's confusion and concern shot through the roof. The words of the visitor to the workshop and Cedric in the memory were all too familiar to her. Except for a few more words spoken by Cedric, they were the last words spoken when she was hurt and he went into the amulet.
"But why show me that? Cedric's not in there anymore and even then, he could only show me...what...what… what he…remembered."
Sofia's stomach dropped. She wasn't certain what to think or believe. Scared of what she might find out but wanting the truth, Sofia transported up to the tower. Outside the workshop door, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Inside, Cedric had his shirt off and was examining his left arm. From the wrist to elbow, it resembled a rotting piece of meat and had a matching smell. Sofia tried not to gag but the smell quickly got to her and she hurled. Startled, Cedric looked up.
"Merlin's mushrooms! Are you okay, Sofia?"
Cedric grabbed a bucket and handed it to Sofia who continued to retch.
"What is that smell? It's awful!"
Cedric guided Sofia to a chair to sit down.
"Give me a moment to take care of that."
Sofia nodded numbly as Cedric stepped out of the workshop and into his room. The smell disappeared but Sofia was still very nauseous. After a couple minutes, Cedric came back in the workshop, arm bandaged and a shirt on. Noting that his princess was still sick to her stomach, the sorcerer poured a cup of water and placed a few drops of a potion in it.
"Here, this will make you feel better."
Sofia took the drink and sipped on it. After a few minutes, she looked noticeably better.
"What was that smell? And your arm?"
"A reminder that has yet to go away. What brings you up here? It's getting a little late."
"I was reading or trying to read and I wondered to myself why both you and Amber have been acting strangely. The amulet showed me something, a memory. But it wasn't my memory. It was yours. It was you working on whatever spell started everything."
Cedric paled. "Just how much did you see?"
"You were standing over your cauldron, looking at something in there and you were perplexed. You said 'Merlin's mushrooms! What happened to you?' Then you were in denial of whatever you saw, calling a spell a fad. Does any of that mean anything to you? I know you said you lost some of your memory in the accident but the amulet has only ever shown me memories that were remembered by the person they belonged to. But by your words, you could only remember what little bit you showed me while you were in the amulet. You showed me the spell exploding and you trying to protect me from the explosion. What I saw just now was not part of that."
"I know," Cedric said, strains of guilt in his voice.
"Cedric, how much do you remember of that morning? Tell me honestly."
Cedric didn't reply. Sofia felt her heart breaking as the silence spoke loudly. A sob escaped. Cedric placed his hand on Sofia's shoulder but she pushed it away.
"I can't believe you would lie about that," Sofia said, her voice cracking. "When I first asked you what spell it was, you said you couldn't tell me. A few days later, you said to me and our families that you couldn't remember very much from that day. I don't understand why you would lie about that."
"Sofia-"
"I had a lot to lose from that accident! I had to suffer through eight long years in order to bring you back, including the belief that it was all my fault! You told me back in Avalor that none of it was my fault and I believed you! Yet here you are, lying about that morning and refusing to fill in the gaps! Was I a fool to believe you? To trust what you said?"
"Sofia, I'm sorry."
"Just leave me alone Cedric!"
Sofia went up in a puff of smoke. Cedric stared at the now empty seat before proceeding to kick it over.
"Cursed spell! How many more cruel tricks will you play before this is over?"
Back in her room, Sofia flicked her wand out and put the barrier spell back up around her room. With that in place, the distraught princess collapsed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.
