Never Ever After
"CEDRIC!" A familiar voice called out to the sorcerer. Quickly turning around, Cedric became horrified as he watched a figure take the magical blow that was meant for him. Realizing it was Sofia he caught her in his arms.
As he clung to to her tight, the sorcerer could feel the woman's breathing become labored. She couldn't leave him...not again. "Sofia, stay with me. It's gonna be alright. We're gonna get you back to the castle..."
Placing her hand on his cheek, Cedric felt as though his own breathing had stopped."I'm afraid there's not much time left."
"Don't say that..."
"But it's true. Of all the things that has happened in my life, I am glad I was able to meet you. You saved my life and now I have finally returned the favor."
He should have scolded her for saying such nonsense but deep down Cedric knew it was true and let her continue. "I-I would like to at least request one more thing from you, master but I probably should never ask anything from you."
"Nonsense, just ask it and I'll do it."
If she had the strength, Sofia probably would have chuckled at herself for even bringing this silly subject up but being very close to death's door now...she needed to do it now. Before the man could speak again he became surprised that she had pulled his face closer and kissed him fully on the lips.
Taking this moment in, Cedric returned the gesture as he moved his hand from her hand to her face. Once their lips had parted the sorcerer watched as the woman began to disappear.
"You won't ever be alone,Cedric. I'll always be with you." Sofia's echoed after she was completely gone.
Opening his eyes, Cedric sat up to find that he was in his bed. After recalling everything that had happened the sorcerer looked down to find that his amulet was now pink. Sofia was still in there! He could sense it! He had to go return her soul to her body!
Pulling the covers off off of him, Cedric got out of the bed but as he stood he felt the dizziness begin to kick in. Once that had faded the sorcerer began to to try to make his way out of the room.
All of a sudden, his strength began to fail him and he found himself being caught. "You really shouldn't be out of bed in your current state, Your Majesty." Wormwood said as the steward lifted the ruler's arm over his neck and began to lead him back to bed.
"Wait, take me to Sofia." Cedric struggled to say as his head hung down. "I need to free her from my amulet...I need to."
Hearing this from his employer, a sigh escaped his lips. It was no surprise to the experienced steward that the king cared a great deal for his servant. Why was he so drawn to this one maid?
He could have had befriended a princess, a queen or even a classmate but no he had to pick one little village girl turned servant. What did she had that he didn't?Well, it was pointless of getting jealous over this girl, after all he liked her also.
"Take me to her,Wormwood." Cedric repeated.
Knowing that he wouldn't stop till he told him. He sat the king back into his bed. Once he was laying back down and was covered up, Wormwood told what he knew. "I'm afraid Sofia's body has disappeared..."
"WHAT!" Cedric snapped his head up in shock. "How could it have disappeared?"
"I'm not quite sure myself. Your Ever Realm counter part said her soul was inside the amulet,right?" Seeing the ruler nod the man continued in his speculating. "Perhaps, she's trying to piece herself together on her own. It wouldn't surprise me that she was trying out to find a way back."
Lowering his head back down, Cedric thought over the theory. Could Wormwood be right and Sofia was trying to find her own way back? If so he couldn't wait on her. She suffered enough. After being used as pawn in Benedict's scheme and protecting him from an attack...she deserved more.
"Get my spell book." Cedric said to his servant in a determined voice.
Doing as he was told, the well-dressed man went over to a nearby book shelf and brought back a large, leather bound book.
Once it was given to Cedric, he flipped through it till he found the page he needed. "This spell ought to do it." The sorcerer said. After trying to cast it, he slumped against the headboard and groaned. To his disappointment the try had been futile.
"You are very weak, Your Majesty," Wormwood reminded the royal as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you rest and get your full strength back the spell could be successful."
"As much as I hate to admit, you're right." Cedric muttered as he clutched his pounding head. "I won't be much help to her in this state."
A smile graced the steward's face. It pleased him to see that his master was thinking logically of their desperate situation. Given time and nourishment, His Majesty would be successful in freeing his beloved servant. "I'll have Violet send up food this evening but for now you rest,sir."
Giving a bow, Wormwood left the room to get back to his chores. Being alone once again, Cedric laid his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. Least did he know that the amulet was glowing.
He drowned out everything. With it had already been a year ago since the fight with Benedict, Cedric was now able to get back to his royal duties. Sadly, he still hadn't been able to free Sofia from the amulet yet.
Why had the spell not worked? Was he still not strong enough? A sigh escaped his lips as he sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands.
"Your Majesty, the elders wish to have an audience with you." Wormwood said as he entered the room unnoticed.
"What is it this time?"
"Um, well ever since the incident ...they believe you are not to be ruling the kingdom in your emotional state." The steward answered.
Looking up, Cedric glared after hearing the answer. While he might have been in a "broken state" that didn't mean he had let it be known to his subjects. The sorcerer was strong after all, so strong in fact that his public thought that he was fine. The elders, however knew him well.
Getting up, he cleaned up his face and went to face the elders. Those old fools were beginning to get on his nerves.
As he walked into the parlor, Cedric wasn't surprised to see that the supposed old men didn't look happy. "What is this about me not being able to rule with a straight mind?" Cedric asked in slight anger.
"Being King of Enchancia, we are concerned that you are letting your emotions get in the way of your better judgment, Cedric. Perhaps, it is best that you hand over the crown to a most trusted friend now." The leader of the elders stood to explain. "Your father had asked us to always to council you when you are in trouble and well...we fear this may be the best decision."
"You may know that I am in this "Broken State" but I am NOT letting it show. My subjects believe I am fine and I will be once I have freed Sofia. Handing over the crown, is not necessary."
"But-"
"This discussion is over!" He warned with a glare. Turning around the sorcerer was about to exit the room till he felt the amulet glow red.
Turning around, Cedric saw the leader had tried to throw a magical blast at him. It was a good thing he had missed due to it being caught by Cedric. As the king diminished the attack, he took a good look at his attacker. "Grimtrix, why am I not surprised? Had If I had given the crown away you would have been the next in line to inherit it."
"Yes, I am sick and tired of the way you are ruling this kingdom. Your father, might have been my friend but you...you have done more harm to this kingdom than I could have imagined. Shall I remind you, your beloved servant was the one to defended the kingdom from Benedict? That was your duty, not hers yet you let girl take care of it. You should have never taken that wretched girl in."
"You don't know the full story,old man." Cedric said as he didn't tare his glare away from the new criminal. "I wasn't well at the time. Had I have been I would have defended the kingdom. Now, I'm afraid I'll have to strip you of your titles. For now on, you will be living the rest of your life in the dungeons."
"No..."
"I'm afraid that's what you get for attacking a royal. Guards,take him away."
As two guards escorted the man away Cedric could hear the threats being shouted to him. "I'll get you for this one day,Cedric! You haven't seen the last of me!"
Once the parlor room was silent again, Cedric turned back to the remaining elders in the room. "Any other objections?"
Seeing that they had been wrong in their assumptions of the king they all shook their head in fear. "Good, now leave me be..." Cedric warned as he left the room to go back in his search of a way to free Sofia.
As each year passed Cedric began to get depressed and more angered. None of the spells or potions he had picked out had worked. Out of all the things to fail him, why did it have to be his own creation?
The amulet had been made to enhance power but once Sofia had come along, he had given her the jewel out of protection. With Sofia now inside, could she have taken control of it as he and Wormwood thought. Did she even want to return?
Laying his head back against the headboard of his bed,Cedric looked down to observe the quiet,pink amulet. "What are you trying to do? Don't you realize that my life has been so empty without you?"
Hoping to get some sort of answer, the sorcerer waited. After a minute Cedric's anger began to boil. "THAT'S IT! I CAN'TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Unlatching the necklace the sorcerer threw it across the room. "I WANT YOU BACK BUT IT SEEMS YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME AT ALL!"With his anger now given, the man panted.
"But I do care,Cedric." A voice spoke out of nowhere.
Hearing the voice, Cedric looked up to see that the glowing amulet was now floating. After a bright, pink light blinded him, there stood a familiar figure. The amulet was nowhere in sight! "S-Sofia..."
Climbing off of the bed,Cedric walked up to smiling woman before him. A part of him wanted to touch her to make sure she was really there but was afraid she would disappear. She looked more...womanly now. Taking notice of this, Cedric blushed but instead replaced it with a glare. "Oh. so you finally decide to to come back,have you? Well, let me tell you one thing...I don't care anymore."
"I tried everything possible to get you back. If you had control this whole time why didn't you come back then? I needed you. I felt lonely. Darn it Sofia, I couldn't live my life like this. I nearly gave into the idea of using dark magic to bring you back but I have a feeling you had removed that idea from my mind."
"I'm sorry," Sofia said as she looked down to the ground."The reason I never came out was because I couldn't. I was being connected to the amulet."
"Connecting to it?"
"Yes, before all this Benedict mess started I was given a vision of what was to come. It was then I decided I would always try to protect you. If you had faced Benedict, you would have died! So I put a potion in your food that morning to make you sick..."
"No..." Cedric trailed off in shock.
"So everything that has happened...it went as I had planned it. It was to protect you and the kingdom." With this news given she waited for the information to sink into his brain before continuing. "While I was given that bad vision...I was later given a more wonderful vision once I was inside the amulet. With the things the way they are now, great things will start to happening to this kingdom."
"But you're not staying, are you?" Cedric muttered.
"Realize it or not, I am actually am the amulet now. I will always be around your neck and be there to protect when you are in battle."
I don't want you as my amulet! I want you here in your human form. Ever since you were attacked...this castle felt empty; with you not here with me I feel like I have no one left! I love you,Sofia!"
"Cedric..."
"It's true and I just can't live like this, Sofia."
Placing her hand on the side of her face Sofia watched as he touched it. "I know your life has been lonely and empty but I promise you won't feel like that again."
""How?"
"I am the amulet now. It will feel like I am standing right beside you. As though I never left at all. Trust me Cedric, when the time comes you'll be very happy with the way things are now."
"But-" Interrupting him, she placed a finger on his lips but what surprised him more was when she kissed him.
Feeling her soft lips to his, Cedric wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Before long Sofia began to disappear and he heard her voice echo. "Trust me..."
Looking down at his neck, Cedric could see that the amulet was back but also felt that Sofia was still standing right beside him. She was right. He didn't feel alone now. Clasping the jewel in his hand, a small familiar warmth came from the necklace. "Okay Sofia, I trust you."
Hearing a knock at the door, Cedric saw Wormwood rush in panting. "Your Majesty, we just got a message from Rudistan. It seems Greylock needs your help." Taking the piece parchment, he looked it over.
After getting a good look at it, Cedric looked back at the steward. "Alright, let's head out."
A/N: I know you guys wanted a happy ending but I wanted this story to give the message that not everything can end happy. So I settled with my original idea of a bittersweet ending. Don't kill me! You could say this is my Seto and Kisara version of Cedfia! LOL! If this story isn't good I apologize, I was really having a hard time with this this one. I tried my best. Please review!