The Cradle Will Rock

Summary: Sofia is abducted in the dead of night by none other than Greeneyes, an evil enchantress who has plans for the princess's unborn child.

Disclaimer: I own the villain Greeneyes, Angel, Corban, and Alamea (whether or not they end up being mentioned in here). Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X.

A/N: *WARNING* Sofia, while physically beginning to heal in this chapter, will come to terms with her mental and emotional anguish in here…

Chapter 6: Empty Handed

"I'm not leaving, Cedric," Sofia told the sorcerer about an hour later, after they had carried her into the AutoCoach to finish healing her and giving her a much-needed cleansing and change of clothing. She sat now in a soft pink long-sleeved top and matching pajama pants, the fabric nice and soft against her currently very sensitive skin, not to mention along the magical stitches. In addition, there was now a thin stream of magic coursing through her veins from Cedric's wand; this happened to be the magical transfusion that would replenish her blood supply. "N-Not without Serena…"

"Serena," Merlin echoed, smiling sadly as he was attempting to use his wand to track down the evil woman. "That…is quite possibly the most perfect name for your child, Princess Sofia…"

She couldn't help smiling a bit toward the wizard, though it was obvious that it pained her to do so, and her heart certainly wasn't in it. "Thanks, Merlin…" After Cedric had retracted his wand, she reached down to her abdomen, tears filling her eyes as she realized that even with the baby gone now, the weight she'd taken on to nourish the little one still remained, filling her with even more devastation and hurt. "It's not fair," she whispered, the dam breaking and sobs spilling forth.

Cedric moved from his seat across from Sofia onto the floor, carefully pulling her down with him so that he could cradle her, silently shushing her and rubbing her back, his fingers brushing through her now loosened hair. "I know, my darling… It's absolutely not fair…" His own eyes were brimming with tears, but he didn't want her to see him cry. Not again… He needed to be strong for her. "B-But… You mustn't work yourself up like this. You need to rest. You have lost a lot of blood, and it will take a while for that transfusion to settle."

"I don't care if I get hurt or die," Sofia mumbled angrily as Cedric continued trying to calm her down. "I'll do anything to save our baby. And if I see that woman again, I'll kill her myself."

"Sofia, please—"

"No, Cedric!" She turned her head to face him, her face no longer pale but instead red with rage and frustration, not to mention all the crying she'd been doing. "She came into our castle—our room—and captured me, and then she cut me open and took our baby—the product of our love! And I… I couldn't stop her; it's my fault she's gone!" She sobbed into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "Cedric, I've wanted this baby for so long… Our baby… And now she may be gone, and… And I can't grasp that… I can't lose her… I can't lose our daughter…!"

Cedric stroked her hair, rocking them both slowly back and forth. "Sofia, it's not your fault that this happened," he murmured against the crown of her head. "You couldn't have stopped such a powerful monster like Greeneyes…"

"Agreed, my dear," Merlin added, turning to face them once again, his wand still activated. "We're grateful you are alive."

"A-And," Cedric added as Sofia sniffled and slowly sat up to stare at him, a lost look in those stormy blue eyes. "We'll get her back," he told her, almost instantly wishing he'd said something—anything—else, as he noticed the vacant look on his wife's face. "Sofia?"

She slowly frowned, shaking her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Cedric…"

"It's one I intend to keep, my love." He lifted his hands to her face, softly brushing the salty tears from her skin. "I would give my last breath for you, and you know that. And I would die first before leaving our child in that wicked woman's grasp. I don't know what all she's capable of, but I'll fight till the death just to ensure that both you and Serena are safe."

"Stop saying that!" Sofia admonished, glaring at him. "Cedric, do you think I want you dead? Isn't it enough I lost the baby? Do you think I want to lose you too?!"

"You said very much the same thing I did!" he argued back heatedly, but just a bit more gently so that she wouldn't recoil and hurt herself. He calmed down a bit, continuing to gently hold her face in his hands. "Sofia, I don't want to lose either of you. I couldn't bear knowing that I'd be leaving you both behind if I were to die either. This is almost a no-win situation… Either way, someone gets hurt. Someone runs the risk of losing a life. It shouldn't be you, because you still have such a long life ahead of you." He watched her gasp at his words. "Your love and kindness mean the world to me, and you've kept me young in spirit, but the truth is, Sofia…" He lowered his hands to his lap as she watched him. "I've lived a long life now. If anyone were to die in this case… It should be me."

Sofia couldn't stop her hand before it impacted with the sorcerer's cheek, stunning him. "Stop being such a martyr! I get it: save the women and children, be the good guy, prove yourself… You've done that over and over, Cedric." She felt herself crying again as she saw the red spot appearing on his cheek, and she sniffled as she reached up with the same hand that had struck him and gently, apologetically, caressed the warm skin there. "You are the good guy, Cedric... You have proven yourself… You are everything to me, and I can't—I won't lose you…"

"No one is losing anyone," Merlin assured the couple as he turned to face them. "We just have to be smart before confronting this demonic woman, and that means that you two need to pull yourselves together. This isn't a matter of sacrificing yourselves to save your child. It's a matter of being strong and believing in the powers you both possess to save her while destroying the entity of Greeneyes. You've done things like this before. You've saved the world from danger many times. What makes this so different?"

"Because it's our baby at risk," Cedric responded quietly, his cheek still stinging from where Sofia had hit him, though he understood why she had… As much as he didn't want her to be the sacrificial victim, he understood that she didn't want that of him either. They'd always said they were stronger together, but right now… They felt very much the opposite. "Because an innocent soul is on the line, Merlin, and she happens to be our innocent soul… Our Serena…"

"Peace, tranquility, serenity," Sofia remarked, sighing as she hugged Cedric, who gently returned the gesture. "I thought I'd chosen the perfect name… But with all the chaos we always endure, I was foolish to think we'd ever have peace…"

"I'd rethink that mindset if I were you," the old wizard advised her as he smirked when his wand pulsed a bright red. "I now know where Greeneyes is. Now, we can all go rescue the baby and destroy the evil she-devil together, or we can sit here and cry about how problematic our lives are because evil is still a thing. It's up to you though." He knew that sometimes he could be brash and even insensitive, even with his friends, but this one time, he felt it was warranted. And given how the other two had grown more determined and were attempting to move out of the AutoCoach now, he figured he'd made the right choice.

"We can save her?" Sofia clarified, sounding almost hopeful for the first time in a while. "And destroy Greeneyes?"

"It's very possible, but we have to be smart about this, and you must follow my lead." He saw Sofia nod and then turned to the sorcerer. "Cedric?"

Cedric finally nodded. "Anything for our baby…" He gasped as Sofia hugged him again, this time a bit firmer. "Sofia…"

"I'm sorry I hit you," she told him softly, feeling ashamed for ever doing such a thing. She'd never done anything like that to anyone before. She knew it was because she was angry that he'd basically said he'd die on her behalf, but there was still no reason for her to react that way, especially since he was correct that she'd basically said the same thing. She was a hypocrite in that capacity, and she acknowledged it. "I'm so sorry, Cedric… You didn't deserve that."

He leaned down to her, gently pressing his lips to hers. "Make it up to me by staying alive. We'll save the baby, and we'll leave this place together."

She nodded, though she absently wondered if that was even a reality at this point. She took his hand, squeezing it tightly, because despite her doubts right now, she knew that any hope was better than none at all. "Together…"

Merlin nodded toward them. "Follow me."

To be continued…

Next Chapter: A Mother's Love