Pandemonium

Summary: After a tragic event leaves all of Enchancia shaken, in the midst of overwhelming devastation and despair, an unexpected ally lends a hand to restore balance to the realm once more. (Collab with Mr. Shortman92; editing assistance by MarionetteJ2X)

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Daemno, Alamea, and Corban. Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X. Daemno's wife Daluzia belongs to Mr. Shortman92. Also, this is his idea. 😊

Chapter 2: Cease and Resist

The battle continued in the castle, but Cedric had seen everything that had happened with his partner…

"S-Sofia," he whispered, his eyes widening and his lip trembling, that haunting image of her being stabbed and left to die continuously flashing in his mind. He didn't know how to react… She was… She was gone. He couldn't heal her. He couldn't save her.

So he would avenge her.

Angrily, the sorcerer snarled and tossed several heated magical blasts at the bandits and intrusive magic wielders. "I'm tired of these miscreants! Interficio!" He watched in satisfaction as two men fell down to the ground, lifeless. "These hellions! Interficio!" Four more fell, toppling on top of each other. "Nothing but debauchers, deviants, and degenerates! INTERFICIO!"

The others in the group, previously tied up with fighting off the intruders, had little else to do as Cedric had actually killed all of them. They were shocked, to say the least… Who knew he had such rage and spite? But…

Cedric, sweating profusely at having overexerted himself, panted as he turned to his final intruder: the man who had stabbed Sofia, his dagger still dripping with the princess's blood.

The rather stout and plump man held a mixed reaction: one of shock and pride. He'd killed the Enchancian princess… The one who'd caused nothing but trouble for people like him. "Heh…" However, this momentary mild celebration was short-lived, especially as he looked around and saw that all the other intruders lay on the ground, slain, and now the Enchancian sorcerer was approaching him. Panic immediately set in, and he gulped and held out the dagger in defense.

"You animal," Cedric growled angrily, using his wand to obliterate the dagger, before instantly changing his mind while holding his family wand up to the man's throat, narrowing his eyes at the short man, who whimpered frightfully. "No… That would be an insult to animals…"

The bandit swallowed nervously, a difficult action, considering his current position.

"You only succeeded in killing the love of my life with pure luck. Unfortunately for you, your luck is coming to an abrupt end, you sniveling coward!" His dark eyes flashed with an anger that none had ever seen before, causing a few to gasp softly at the sight. "You're nothing but a bloody lowlife, and now…you'll have…no life…" He grinned somewhat maniacally at his little quip, like a joke only he knew the punchline to, before he jabbed the wand farther into the man's flesh before whispering harshly, "Interficio!"

A simple thud was all anyone heard as the final intruder fell to the floor, dead.

Cedric caught his breath and turned to find that the others were gathered around Sofia's lifeless form.

Everyone was either sobbing or staring down at the princess in shock. Calista and Cordelia were kneeling next to her, holding her cold hands, attempting to speak to her and rouse her into awakening, but it was very clear by now that she was gone.

"Sofia…" Cedric rushed over to his fallen love, dropping next to her, his shaky knees slipping in some of her own blood. "W-Why has no one attempted to heal her yet?!" His frantic words were signs of denial, clearly, especially since he'd literally just killed all the intruders because of the princess's murder. He could see her lying there, motionless, surrounded by her own blood (some even trailing from her blue lips), and it was obvious she was no longer alive…

However, he refused to accept it. He would save her. "Why is she lying on this cold, hard floor, rather than somewhere warm and soft, as fitting for a princess?" he questioned the others, his actions resembling those of someone who had fallen into a fit of madness. He even reached out to try to gather her into his arms, but Roland stopped him, his face stained with tears, as he placed his hands on his friend's shoulders.

"Cedric, stop!" Roland insisted, his voice distorted by the thick emotion he felt after seeing his own daughter's very still form. "She's… She's gone…!" A dark frown formed on his features as he continued, "And making her 'more comfortable' won't change that…"

"Roland, remove your hands," Cedric calmly ordered, the cold, biting tone persuading the king to do just that. He stood before gathering Sofia into his arms, securing her as best as he could, before briskly making his way to her room. When he arrived, he shifted her weight to one arm briefly before haphazardly twisting the door handle and opening the door to her room.

He walked toward her bed, nestling his precious burden onto the neatly-made covers, a frown setting on his features as he watched the light lavender comforter immediately beginning to soak with her blood. A crimson stain formed beneath the princess, ruining the material. Cedric watched as Sofia's arm fell from her stomach, dropping to the side of her bed, and her Enchantlet detaching from her wrist, clattering to the floor. He hesitantly reached down and picked it up, inspecting it silently, before placing it on her bedside table.

Cedric retrieved his wand from his stained robe once more, murmuring a soft spell that healed her wounds and magically cleaned the blood from her chest, mouth, clothing, and comforter. It was obviously not enough to revive her, though, as she still remained as quiet and still as ever. He reached down and unlatched the Amulet of Avalor from her neck, and then he fastened it around his own neck, holding onto the gem. "I wish…Sofia would come back to me…" It was a simple yet useless wish, he knew… Nothing could change this. When he saw that she was still silent and unmoving, despite her now clean and adjusted state, reality hit him hard.

"N-No…" He took a step back, struggling to come to grips with the truth. "Sofia…" He heard the door creak open behind him, and he turned to see the others hurrying inside.

Miranda rushed over to her daughter's bedside, having only just heard of Sofia's demise. She didn't even make it to the bed before collapsing to the floor, sobbing and crying out her daughter's name. "Sofia! My baby!"

Roland knelt next to his wife, gathering her into his arms to comfort her, as Nana and Tanya rushed past him.

Both girls ignored the others' pleas to stop, climbing onto the bed next to their mother instead. Little Nana reached out with her tiny hands, placing them over Sofia's heart, trying with all her might to heal Sofia as tears streaked down her face (as well as Tanya's face), but nothing happened. Her powers were useless against death, so Tanya pulled her away.

"It is not going to work, Nana," Tanya whispered, her voice heavy with emotional realization, "but I wish it could…"

While those gathered stood sobbing or staring at the princess's body in disbelief, a few workers (who had followed them in there out of concern), stood off to the side.

One of the workers decided to make a comment: "Begging your pardon, Your Majesty… But there must be funeral arrangements made for the princess, wouldn't you say?"

Before Roland could even scold him for such a horribly timed comment, Cedric wordlessly began sealing Sofia in a protective barrier, encasing her in its magic and preserving her body in its current state.

"Cedric, what are you doing?" Amber asked, holding onto Desmond, who was also holding Alamea (now crying after seeing how upset all the adults and other children around her were, though she did not understand what was going on).

Cedric turned to the others, giving them a hard stare. He spoke firmly and clearly, "No one is burying her. Not yet… If you just give me some time, I'll figure this out!"

Baileywick frowned, gesturing toward the lifeless body of their princess. "There's nothing to 'figure out,' Cedric. She's gone!"

"Shut up, Baileywick!" The sorcerer glowered at the former steward, who was now being held in place by Violet, clearly shaken by both their outbursts. "Maybe you are giving up, but I'll never give up on her. After all she's done for you, for all of us!" He turned his glare toward the others, watching them all look away from him. "And this is how we repay her? We just let her die?!"

Roland, seeing the desperation on his friend's face, relented with, "I'll give you five days, Cedric… No more. If you can't find a solution by then…" He didn't need to finish his statement, because the intention was abundantly clear. He began ushering out the others, Nigel and Violet helping him out, and even Baileywick after he'd calmed down a bit. Soon, he saw that only Cedric was left in the room, and he sighed before shutting the door softly behind him.

Cedric stood next to Sofia's bed, alone, observing her catatonic state. He was angry yet devastated. He was heartbroken since he'd lost the love of his life, angry that she'd left him, guilty for feeling any anger whatsoever toward her for something she was unable to stop, and upset with himself for not being able to protect her. And even a little upset that he'd snapped at Baileywick and the others…

"My love, h-how could you leave me? How?" He felt the wand finally slip from his fingers, falling next to his feet as he released a heavy sigh, his eyes tearing up. "You promised me that nothing would ever come between us again, but now we're separated forever…" He lifted his hands to his hair, tugging at it in frustration. "You've been the only light in my life for so long, and you just…" He groaned in anger, dropping his hands to his side. "Oh, it's not your fault, Sofia… It's mine! I should have stopped that vile intruder! I should have healed you sooner! And then maybe you'd still be…with me…"

He felt a longing to touch her, hold her, and feel her warmth with him, but he knew he couldn't… The closest thing he had now was her amulet, and the… He reached over to the bedside table, picking up the Enchantlet, holding it over his own right wrist for some reason. He stared at it and watched in mild surprise as it instantly clamped onto his thin wrist. He could feel the power it held. "I wonder…if any of Sofia's magic or life is…in this…"

Those words and that trail of thought sapped whatever mental strength he had left. Broken, he fell to his knees, clutching her comforter and sobbing in despair.

The next few days, Cedric never left Sofia's side. He sat in a chair next to her bed, staring at his partner's lifeless body, wishing she would suddenly awaken (though he knew it was impossible). That second evening, Nana and Tanya were allowed into their mother's room to spend some final time with her, knowing that the days were winding down until Roland's decree for her to have a proper royal burial were approaching, regardless.

While Cedric watched his lifeless princess that night, Tanya was resting in Sofia's window seat with a sleeping Nana and Wormwood, cradling both of them in her arms. Wormwood had been surprisingly considerate and gentle with both of the girls, and she couldn't thank him enough…especially considering Cedric's current mental state.

She watched Cedric silently, observant as always. Clearly, she'd seen a massive change in her guardian since the…event…a few days ago. He wasn't eating, was hardly sleeping (though he'd fallen asleep for a few hours earlier that morning, his head resting near Sofia's in her magical barrier), and not bathing either. She hated how horrible, frail, and solemn he looked under these circumstances. She'd never seen him like this before…

In addition to his physical state, she'd also noticed a major change in his behavior and attitude. He'd grown increasingly bitter and very negative the past few days, snapping at people or being rather cold toward them. He'd snapped at Violet for attempting to coax him to leave Sofia's side for a while to get some food, and every time Roland came to check on him, he would tense up and grow defensive, assuming that the king was planning to take the princess away (despite their continued agreement and him still having three days left to attempt to solve this terrible dilemma, if it was even possible).

Tanya figured she could understand his pain, but he still needed to remember his most important job: taking care of her and Nana, as well as Wormwood. She had to say something, though she wasn't sure how things would turn out if she did talk to him. For the first time in a long time, she felt…nervous. Still, this was something she had to do, if not for herself, then for Nana…

She gathered up her courage and shuffled Nana onto a pillow, Wormwood still cradled in her arms. She smiled and pulled a blanket over the sleeping duo before walking over to Cedric's side. She stopped next to where he was seated and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. She noticed that he'd briefly glanced in her direction before turning back to his motionless partner, though at least he had noticed her. It was more than she'd been expecting, honestly. "Papa… I know how you are feeling right now. I went through the same thing when Victor died, remember? Sitting there, staring at her day after day…" She frowned. "It is not going to bring her back. And…Mama would not want you to be miserable."

A frown creased his own brow as he muttered lowly, "You couldn't possibly know what she'd want…"

"I do know that she would hate seeing you like this. You must stop this, for your own health."

He scoffed, "What's the point? Without her, I have no reason to live anyway…"

Tanya was growing frustrated, especially at his words. How could he say such a thing? "That is not true! You have Nana…and me… What about Calista? Cordelia? Wormwood? Everyone who loves and cares about you?" She wouldn't allow him to forget how much he meant to others, regardless of what had happened…

Cedric clenched his fists before turning and glaring at the young girl. "Without Sofia, neither you nor Nana would even be here… None of us would! Before I met Sofia, I had nothing. So, the way I see it, I'm back to where I started all those years ago!" He slammed his fists into the bed, though the connection with a plush surface of the mattress rather than a firm one furthered his frustration as he growled.

His words had shocked Tanya. Ever since knowing Cedric and Sofia, they'd only shown her kindness, though she was well aware that Cedric hadn't always been that way. She'd heard bits and pieces about his life before Sofia had intervened, and she was rather sure that she wouldn't like the man he'd once been. Was this what he was like before Sofia helped him? Did he even care about her or Nana now, or had it all just been an act to impress Sofia? Had he just been pretending to be nice to them so that he wouldn't lose the one person he loved more than anyone else?

Tanya chided herself for even thinking such a thing. After all, she'd seen him save others before, herself included, even at the risk of losing his own life. She could understand that he was very angry about the whole situation right now, so she knew she had to approach this from a different angle. She recalled Victor's parting words to her before he died. "The people we love are never truly gone, Papa. You may not see her, but Mama is still with you." She smiled gently as he appeared to ponder her words. "She always will be."

Cedric suddenly sneered at her, scoffing, "Where? In my 'heart?' Please… That's the most ridiculous nonsense I've ever heard uttered." He clenched his fists again. "Victor may have told you that he'd always be with you, but here's a secret, Tanya: Victor lied. That's what people from the Never Realm do!"

SLAP

Wormwood and Nana awoke after hearing the sharp sound of a hand connecting with a cheek. They looked over to the other side of Sofia's bed, seeing Cedric sitting with his head hanging low, and Tanya standing next to him, tears streaming down her angry face as she stared at her hand, red from having just slapped her own father. They watched Tanya gasp suddenly, holding her hands over her mouth after she appeared to realize what she'd done.

Nana slid down from the window seat and hurried over to her sister, Wormwood flying right behind her and landing on the white-haired girl's shoulder. The little one reached up toward her sister, and Tanya scooped her into her arms.

Wormwood nuzzled Tanya's cheek momentarily before glancing back at his master. "Cedric, what's going on?"

Cedric slowly lifted his head, a blank expression on his face as he rubbed his left cheek, now a splotchy bright red color. In an eerily calm voice, his eyes trained on Sofia once more, he responded, "Wormwood, take the girls… To the tower, to Cordelia's room, I don't really care… Just get them out of here. I need to be alone right now."

Still surprised, Wormwood realized it was best to do what he'd been told. "Very well," he sighed. "Come along, girls. It's best we leave Cedric alone for a while. It's not a good idea to be around him right now." He glared at his master, who wasn't even acknowledging him. "At least until Cedric sets his priorities straight." With that, he flew up and began leading the girls out of the bedroom.

Wormwood's parting words got Cedric's attention. He glanced toward the door, only to see Nana's sad face staring at him from over Tanya's shoulder, her little hands extended in his direction (reminiscent of the first time he and Sofia had nearly departed from her), tears in her wide eyes. As the door closed, halting the view of his daughters, Cedric's heart nearly broke. He finally realized how terrible he'd been lately, especially to his own girls. He sighed, lowering his head in shame.

"Oh, what have I done? I need to fix this… But not tonight…" He was about to stand up and rush after them, but then he thought better of it. "I-I'll try tomorrow. They're probably really upset with me right now anyway, and I don't blame them." He looked toward Sofia's lifeless body, his face falling. "I'm so sorry, Sofia… I don't know what came over me, but I didn't mean what I said to Tanya. I promise you, my love… Tomorrow, I'll make this right. But…I must rest first." He lifted the sleeve of his robe to his mouth as he yawned, and his nose wrinkled in disgust as he muttered, "Ugh…not to mention, a bath is definitely necessary…or at least a cleaning spell…" Exhausted, he collapsed onto the mattress again, next to his partner's quiet and still form.

While Wormwood led the girls up to the tower, Tanya's mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about her interaction with Cedric. She'd slapped him, and she felt horrible about it. He and Sofia had done so much for her: aiding in her quest for vengeance, giving her a new home and family, and helping her adjust to a normal (sort of) life. She was, of course, angry with Cedric for what he'd said about Victor, but she also understood that he didn't mean it. He was devastated. He'd just lost the love of his life, so she could understand why he was so angry at the moment. Still, she realized that until he released that anger, she wouldn't speak with him. She couldn't. She didn't want to go through that sort of thing again. And right now, her job was to look after her little sister.

Once they reached the workshop door, Tanya smiled patiently at Nana, watching as the little girl attempted to reach the doorknob. "Do you wish to open the door, Nana?" Seeing the little girl nodding up at her, she giggled quietly before lifting her closer to her goal. "Go ahead."

With her smaller hands, Nana at first had trouble grasping the handle, but she finally managed to open the door.

Tanya gasped as Nana slipped from her hold as the door began to open, the little one still grasping the knob with both hands as the door slowly continued opening before finally bumping into the wall. She laughed at the adorable scene, reaching up and helping Nana down to the floor.

As they entered the workshop, Tanya lit a few candles so that they could see better. Nana turned and shut the door, though she did so a little too forcefully, causing it to slam, startling Wormwood as he flinched at the sound.

"Good job, Nana," Tanya told her sister anyway, noticing the little one smiling proudly.

Wormwood landed on the table in front of Tanya, gesturing with his wing toward her and Nana, who was currently attempting to climb onto Cedric's stool. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you two to be here without Cedric or Sof—" He closed his eyes for a moment. He wouldn't cry. He must be strong, especially since Cedric obviously wasn't able to do so at the moment. He glanced back toward the girls continuing," W-Well, without an adult, is what I'm saying… I am aware that Cedric might not be the best choice right now, but perhaps I could fetch Cordelia or Princess Amber or someone…"

Tanya shook her head. "No. They do not need to be involved. I have a solution." She transformed into her adult form, folding her arms. "I am an adult. I will look after Nana. As it is, I would rather not have to explain to anyone that we need to be with someone else right now since Cedric is unable to care for us. I do not want the others to think less of him."

Wormwood scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, because they obviously think highly of a man who is currently holding a dead princess hostage." He scoffed, sighing, realizing his sarcastic quips were not going to help the current situation. "I do see your point, though… It would look rather bad for Cedric if everyone discovered that he was neglecting his own daughters. But won't they figure that out when they see you taking Nana down for breakfast in the morning? Then, of course, there's the fact that he wasn't the one looking after you two for the last few days either…"

Tanya sighed. "I will tell them that it was my decision to look after Nana, at least until Cedric feels better. They do not need to know about his earlier outburst."

"What exactly did he do to cause you to slap him, by the way? I'm gathering it was rather serious?"

Nana hadn't really been paying much attention to their conversation, since she had instead found it far more entertaining to spin around on Cedric's rolling stool, but she did stop to listen after hearing Wormwood's question. Honestly, she was rather curious about that herself. What could Cedric have done to make her sister so upset?

Tanya hung her head in shame, still feeling horrible about that situation. "H-He told me that…" She stopped, closing her eyes, shaking a bit as she recalled his words. "H-He said that Victor lied to me… That… Th-That is what they do—people from the Never Realm…" She couldn't hold it in anymore, even now that she was in her adult form. She collapsed against the worktable and sobbed.

Nana gasped, looking toward Wormwood, her little bottom lip trembling. Being a Never Realm creation herself, she couldn't help but feel just a bit hurt that her Papa would say something like that. Did that mean he didn't trust her? The thought saddened her, and like Tanya, she also began to cry.

Wormwood, realizing what Nana's train of thinking probably was, flew down toward her and landed in her lap while she was still sitting on the rolling stool. "Oh, Nana, he didn't mean you, little one. Did Cedric not help save you from the Never Realm?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "See there? Cedric loves you, or else he wouldn't have done that, right?" As she nodded again, this time even smiling a little bit, he turned his attention to Tanya, who was still resting her head on her arms and still crying. "Ugh, why did you have to leave, Sofia?" he murmured softly. "I'm really not good with all of this emotional stuff…"

He flew up to the table once more, nuzzling Tanya's head and using his wing to pat her back as best as he could. "There, there… It's all right." As she lifted her head, giving him her attention, he told her, "Look, Victor was clearly a good man. He created you, didn't he? And despite being initially created as a weapon, he taught you to be kind and caring. Now, would someone like that lie to someone they claim to love? I don't think so, and I'm quite sure Sofia would agree with me. Don't listen to Cedric, Tanya. He's just in a horrible mood right now and is merely dragging everyone else down with him." He sighed. "I've no idea how long he'll be like that, unfortunately, but if it lasts much longer, we're going to need to stage an intervention."

Tanya nodded, looking down as she felt a tug on her black turtleneck. She smiled, seeing that Nana had crawled into her lap and was reaching up toward her. She lifted her into her arms, hugging her. "Oh, Nana… Everything is going to be all right. We just need to give him some time, and I am sure that he will come around. Until then, it looks like it is just you, me, and Wormwood." She tapped the girl's nose, seeing her smile a bit. "We need to be strong now. Do you think you can handle that?" She giggled as Nana smiled and nodded, flexing her little arms. "Good girl."

Wormwood smiled in satisfaction, happy to see that the girls seemed to be in better spirits now. He just hoped they didn't have to wait too long for Cedric to get his act together. But that was yet to be seen…

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Parental Instincts