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* There will be a good bit of physical stuff in this one, plus of course, massive violence with Greeneyes. Additionally, the stolen children and the trapped mothers will be addressed as well.
Note: Happy birthday to both my good friend Royal Detective (RD) and my OC baby Corban! :) Hope you both have a great day! :D
Chapter 7: A Mother's Love
Greeneyes sat before the green flames that had just destroyed at least twenty other unborn children, the dark magic casing around each falling away and instead returning to her, flooding her being once again. "Is this enough, Master?" she asked, her voice in a lower register as she attempted to humble herself before a greater and potentially more malevolent being than she could ever hope to be.
"What do you think, Greeneyes?" a harsh response came, the green flames roaring and nearly engulfing the wicked woman. "Recite the oath."
Obediently, she obliged.
"Gather the least who seem the most;
Purest existence they will boast;
Surround them in the emerald flame;
All before they have a name."
"I've succeeded!" Greeneyes laughed incredulously as the flames before her grew more powerful. "The least who seem the most, purity… Before they have a name? These unborn, Master! They are who you seek! And the emerald flame—sacrifice!"
"You're quite sure of yourself, are you?" that same powerful voice taunted, a low chuckle reverberating throughout the nearly empty realm. "Very well then, Greeneyes… Just continue your task. We'll see if you're worthy…" Those dark green flames died down, leaving the shadowy entity alone again.
Greeneyes sighed as she stood up, restoring her human form, before moving back to her area of floating encased souls. "What does he know?" She reached out her hand, mercilessly destroying at least five of the unborn, smirking as she heard a shrill set of cries echo throughout the realm. "Rock-a-bye, indeed…" She scoffed, turning back to her duties.
"W-Where are we?" Sofia asked uncertainly as she, Cedric, and Merlin magically teleported into an unknown location.
"And I thought teleportation—"
"What the Conjuror's Board doesn't know won't hurt them," Merlin chided gently. "And I think even if they did find out, they'd realize it's for a very good reason: rescuing your child, Cedric." Seeing the younger sorcerer deflate a bit before nodding, he smiled calmly. "I apologize. I'm a bit on edge, like you two… We're here to save your little one, and I intend to see this mission through to the end. Unsurprisingly, this realm has no title, as I'd expect of this diabolical deviant who's initiated these problems to begin with. We just need to trust the magic now. Follow me."
The trio followed Merlin's magical pathway for quite a long time. They were growing weary the longer they walked, having not slept or eaten in a while. Even conjuring food would do them no good, because it would take time to eat, and time was not on their side.
They'd just about given up hope that the magical pull was actually guiding them to the right location when they were absorbed into a strange vortex, causing them to yell out in surprise, and then projected abruptly onto the floor before none other than Greeneyes herself.
"I left you to die," Greeneyes snarled as her eyes fell upon Sofia, and her entire being filled with dark electricity, some of it extending and shocking the princess, who doubled over and cried out in pain. The woman didn't seem to care about Cedric and Merlin, who were attempting to help Sofia, but to no avail as she was mercilessly dragged away from them via the dark pull Greeneyes had on her. "You shouldn't be alive! You should have bled out! Rotted away! Lost your spirit entirely! Isn't it enough that I've ripped your child away from you and plan to sacrifice it?! Why are you alive?!"
Sofia panted as she glared up at the woman, her form growing weaker as more dark magic surrounded her, but her gaze as intense as ever. "Because I'm her mother! And I'll never stop protecting the ones I love!"
Greeneyes cackled as she released her hold on Sofia, watching her crumple to the floor, before beckoning the glowing encased unborn child to her. She couldn't touch the surface, as she recalled its reaction earlier, but she could still taunt the princess. "This is what you love? What? A soft bag of bones and blood, tissue, and organs? A useless child in the making?"
The princess reached out her hands, her own magic attempting to pool in the palms of her hands. "Give her to me!"
The dark woman paused, chuckling, as she walked over to Sofia. She knelt to her level, her sharp green eyes piercing the alarmed blue ones. "Come and get her." She held up one hand to the princess's chest and blasted her backwards, knocking her into Cedric and Merlin, who were pummeled to the ground as well.
Sofia cried out in pain as the blast began weakening her again, forming new bruises and cuts along her body. Blood began slowly seeping from her injuries, staining her pajamas and even her hair.
Cedric attempted to help his wife, but even trying to touch her sent a shock through his system. He recovered momentarily, after which he slowly stood to his feet, wielding his wand, feeling more enraged yet powerful than he'd ever felt in his life. Seeing Sofia injured and broken all over again, and seeing the evil being before him dangling their unborn child in front of them like teasing a puppy with a treat, was enough to make him snap. Without uttering a single word, he lifted his wand toward the woman and blasted her back, stunning her and even debilitating her for a few moments. This was a new power, and Cedric knew it. More powerful than potions and spells or anything predetermined. This was brought about by the sheer desire to protect his family.
"Oh, that was thrilling!" Greeneyes jeered as she finally stood up, a bit disoriented but intrigued by Cedric's powerful attack. "Bring it on, sorcerer! Let's see what you're made of!"
While Cedric was facing off with Greeneyes, each of them hurling magical attacks at each other, Merlin carefully pulled Sofia to her feet, holding her gently as she slowly came around again. He could see that she was bloodied and bruised once more, and he knew it would take even more time to heal her… If they made it out of here alive. He watched as she stared blankly ahead of herself, her arm slowly lifting. "Princess Sofia, what is it?" he asked gently.
"Come here, baby," she whispered softly, her hand trembling as the wizard kept his hold on her.
Surprisingly, the encasement floated over to her, brushing against her fingers, causing the dark magic coating to fall away. It was replaced with a brighter casing, the glow from the lighter magic that was surrounding it intensifying.
Sofia felt tears springing to her eyes as she heard—and even felt—the little baby's heartbeat within the protective sac. It was clear and stable, much to her surprise and relief. She scooped the little one into her arms, holding on as gently and protectively as she could while all the fighting continued beyond them. "I want to meet you so much," she mumbled to her daughter. "I still want to have you with me… I want to hear your first cry, to see your eyes light up when you get food, to dress you in clothing Amber no doubt will get for you, to play with you and your older sisters…" She sniffled as Merlin rubbed her back. "I want to hear you call us… 'Mama and Papa…' I want to tell you bedtime stories and hold you when you're sad. I want to celebrate your birthday. I want to be your Mama… I love you, Serena… Mama loves you so much…"
Before either could process what was happening, the encased child disappeared from the princess's hold…and then Sofia cried out in both surprise and discomfort. The baby had somehow been absorbed into her body again, which was both extremely painful yet also healing for Sofia… Somehow, even after her internal organs had painfully shifted yet again to accommodate the baby, her body was seemingly healed entirely, she was clean of any blood, there were no injuries to be seen, her clothing was immaculate, and…she felt more powerful than she'd ever felt before.
"Sofia?" Merlin asked, and when she turned to smile at him, his breath caught in his throat. She looked like Sofia, of course, but far more determined and much stronger. Even with the baby restored to her, when she should be taking things easier and trying to accommodate for the pregnancy, she had never looked more energetic and spirited than she did at that moment.
Sofia hugged the older man appreciatively before hurrying over to Cedric before he could collapse after getting struck particularly hard by one of Greeneyes's blasts. She held onto him with her left arm while taking his hand with her right hand, squeezing it tightly as she looked at him resolutely, garnering a tired smile and nod from him.
"You want to die as a family, I take it?" Greeneyes challenged as she laughed, finding their display of affection and unity repulsive. "Fine! My master needs more sacrifices anyway! How about three for the price of one?"
"Together," Sofia whispered to Cedric, lifting his hand with hers, as they felt their new powers rushing through their bodies.
"Together," he agreed, though a bit weaker than she was at the moment. "As always," he added, warming her heart and soul.
"Say goodbye!" Greeneyes growled, her magic sparking around her like an unstable electrical burst.
"I don't think so…"
Cedric and Sofia gasped as they saw large green flames rising from behind Greeneyes, another pair of sharp emerald irises glaring at the woman from within the flickering conflagrations. When Greeneyes turned to the flames, they watched as she was knocked onto her back, the flames beginning to lick at her form, scorching her.
"M-Master! What are you doing?!"
"You misinterpreted the oath, Greeneyes… Gather the least who seem the most; purest existence they will boast; surround them in the emerald flame; all before they have a name. You've stolen the unborn, pure of heart and filled with innocence, because they have never set foot in any realm. I asked you to gather them, not murder them. When I said surround them in the emerald flame, I meant to instruct them in my ways, to immerse them in my teachings. Instead, you've sacrificed thousands! You've tortured them! Killed them! When have I ever demanded a sacrifice?!"
Greeneyes was horrified as those flames grew stronger, the eyes glaring daggers at her as the flames continued damaging her form. "M-Master, please! It was a mistake!"
"No, the mistake was believing that you could do my bidding! You're just as useless as Extorio and Malum In Se! You couldn't even get the last part right! 'All before they have a name…' I don't know about you, Greeneyes, but I'd say 'Serena' is most definitely a name!"
Cedric, Sofia, and Merlin (who'd hurried up to them during this debacle) couldn't believe what they were seeing. When an evil—or supposedly evil—deity turned on his own evildoer, it was quite the shock indeed.
"I-I won't disappoint you again, Master!"
"No," came a far calmer and more sinister voice as the flames grew still, though the crackling from the sparks still filled the empty space. "You most certainly won't."
Without warning, Greeneyes combusted on the spot, gone in the blink of an eye.
The dark deity's flames also vanished, along with those haunting eyes, and all the remaining floating unborn children disappeared as well. It was silent, so silent that it was nearly maddening.
"Let's get out of here," Merlin suggested as he held onto the other two and used his wand to teleport them back to just outside the AutoCoach. Once they were sure they were safe, he sighed. "I wonder what happened to the children…"
Sofia held her hands to her abdomen, pleased to feel a soft kick against her hand, and laughed softly. "I'm willing to bet they've been returned to their own mothers, waiting to be born."
Cedric finally collapsed to his knees, sighing as Sofia carefully moved to sit in front of him, a choked sob erupting from him as she embraced him. "I'm so sorry for not hearing you leave that night," he whispered, his hands tangling in her hair as she held him tighter. "I-I could have prevented all of this… If only I'd just…"
"It's not your fault, Cedric… You never could have predicted this…" She caressed his own hair as she leaned back and smiled warmly at him. "Our baby is back. She'll be born in a few months, and you'll be a Papa again, and I'll be a Mama."
He nodded with a weary smile as he took her hands. "C-Could I make a request then?"
"What's that, Cedric?" She stroked his hands with her thumbs, waiting patiently for him to respond.
"I…don't ever want to think of a child being torn from her mother, or abused, or seen as nothing more than a sacrifice. It reminds me too much of…another situation."
She stared at him with wide eyes, realizing what he was talking about. "Cedric…"
"I want to honor the child who brought our precious Nana to us. She didn't deserve to die either, and even if it's a meager gesture, I want her to live on…in our daughter: Serena…Erine… I-If that's all right with—" He didn't even get to finish as Sofia quickly took his face, kissing him deeply as her tears mingled with his.
After she broke the kiss, Sofia finally smiled softly at her husband. "I think that's the best tribute we could pay to her… Besides taking in Nana in the first place as part of the family, of course…" She looked up at Merlin, who seemed a bit overwhelmed by everything, and she giggled lightly. "Sorry, Merlin… Sorry that you've had to be a part of all this…"
"It's my honor, Princess Sofia," he finally told her, gingerly helping both her and Cedric to their feet. "Shall we go?"
"Actually, Merlin… There's one last thing we should do first." She nodded toward the building. "There are a lot of women trapped in the same cell unit I was… We need to free them before we leave, or I'd never forgive myself."
"Let's go then," Cedric responded, nodding firmly.
Exhausted and emotionally drained, the three headed to the holding cell to release the captured women, some of whom were clearly pregnant again (likely due to those captured babies being theirs) and immediately set about releasing them, much to the women's surprise. Merlin ended up using a substantial amount of his own magic to heal all of the remaining women and teleport them back where they belonged before collapsing after the last one had left.
Cedric and Sofia both helped the wizard back to the AutoCoach, praising him for his kindness and dedication, before finally heading back to Enchancia.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: A New Norm