Weakened Link

Summary: A powerful enemy has its sights set on separating Cedric and Sofia, whom it considers too powerful due to their bond. It plans to infiltrate the past and eliminate the princess, but what it doesn't count on is the powerful ties between the alternate realms, and the partners' sheer will to protect each other at all costs. (Collab with MarionetteJ2X)

Disclaimer: I don't own the show. Nana, Tanya, and the Abstruce Realm and its inhabitants all belong to MarionetteJ2X. The Absentia Realm and its inhabitants belong to Mr. Shortman92. Any other OCs you see, including Angel, Corbin and Alamea, belong to me.

A/N: Happy New Year! It's been a long time coming, but we're finally here: Weakened Link! This is going to be quite the ride, especially considering we have all three known realms involved. I want to give a shout-out to my collaborator and good friend, MarionetteJ2X, for her ideas, her art for the story, and her efficiency with the outline and notes. A little bit goes a long way, but a lot of effort (like she always puts into everything) makes a writer's life so much better, and highly appreciated though never expected. You're the best, Deth! Keep in mind that there may be slow updates from both of us, but at least it's out! :) Just be patient with us, since we're working around crazy work schedules and other things. More to come! ~Aqua

Chapter 1: Weak in the Knees (Abstruce Realm)

"Come here, my darling…" A strange woman knelt and smirked as a long yet willowy black snake slithered over to her, looping around her arm before maneuvering into his usual place around her waist. The snake blinked his pale pink eyes up at the woman, though he was mostly blind and instead relied on the other senses to get around (like most snakes). "Do you know what today is, Silas?" She stood straight, walking to a full-length mirror in the large bedchamber where she resided, staring into it with a critical sneer. "It's the day we begin to break a certain princess down."

This woman was Zarova, the sixth and final Elemental. She was known as the Plasma Wielder (and thus much stronger than her cousin, Blitz, who was the Lightning Wielder; and for all intents and purposes, she was also more efficient at her job). Of the other Elementals, she was known as the harshest. She didn't joke around. She didn't show any weakness to anyone. She hardly even stayed around the other Elementals, because she found most of them annoying or stupid. The worst, though, was having to witness the disgusting displays of affection between Topaz and Yeizou. She would never understand that couple…

Zarova was slender and very pale. Her outfit consisted of a black leather crop top with long sleeves that not only covered her arms, but also the last two fingers of each of her hands. Her sharp nails were coated in black paint, and there were a few dark rings that were nestled around several of her fingers. Around her exposed midriff, Silas—her pet snake—had curled into position, almost like a living belt. On her left side of her stomach, there was a tattoo of a dark bird flying, though some red ink suggested that the bird in the image might be bleeding. Her black leather pants were tight and hung low from her hips, the bottom of the pants tucked into some black multi-buckled platform boots. She wore what looked to be a black sun necklace around her neck. Her eyes were the same shape as Silas's, making her appear more snake-like, and her irises were jet black with very little of the whites of her eyes showing. Her lips were painted in a dark sheen, her sharp teeth peering out every now and then as she spoke. Beneath both of her eyes were twin dark scars that stretched from her waterline to her lower cheeks. Her hair was layered yet wavy, falling to her midback: white on the top half, and an ombre effect halfway down as it faded into black.

"Before we can achieve our goal," the woman hissed to the snake, practically imitating her precious pet, "we must first take a look at the variations we have available…" She pressed her hand to the mirror, watching as it morphed into what appeared to be three large currently active scenes: the Absentia Realm on the top, the Abstruce Realm in the middle, and the Ever Realm on the bottom. She smirked. "All three of these girls have something unique in their makeup that causes them to be problematic not only for me, but also for the entire Oblivo Realm. This one…" She pointed toward Sofia in the Absentia Realm. "She's not a princess like the other two, but her personality is similar to what the other two used to be like. Her little boyfriend there…" She pointed next toward the Absentia Realm Cedric. "…has what would have been her Amulet of Avalor… Never mind all that though. The goal is to rid ourselves of the main problem: this girl. The most important thing is to separate her from the sorcerer, because their bond is far too strong for us to be successful. And if we have to take matters into a more…past-tense context…so be it. And we'll start with these three realms…" She waved a hand, watching the three scenes ripple into two other unknown realms with two other Cedric and Sofia personalities. Zarova frowned. "We'll deal with these others later. Let's focus on the main three for now: Absentia, Abstruce, and Ever Realm…"

ABSTRUCE REALM

Meanwhile, in the Abstruce Realm, things had been much more peaceful recently. Ever since the last fight against Arcadios in the Ever Realm, things had calmed down tremendously. Much of the realm had been restored to its former glory, though some of the outer lying areas were still undergoing some renovations. All in all, though, things seemed to be back in operational order.

Cedric was in the castle gardens, dressed in his normal attire, and playing a game of tag with his not-so-little Nana (sometimes known to others as Little Berry), as she had grown a few centimeters since the incident a few years ago. After all, this little girl was human, unlike her counterparts, and she'd begun growing up like any normal child.

Nana wore a dark red jumper dress with long dark sleeves underneath, and a pair of matching dark shoes. Her hair was tied half-way up, the length now resting along her upper back. Her green eyes had regained some of the innocence and sparkle that Cedric and Sofia had feared was lost during the wartime era, and she squealed as the sorcerer caught her in a hug.

"Papa, no fair!" the little one playfully chided, grinning as she poked at his chest. "You said you would give me a running start!"

"I did, silly girl," he returned, smirking as she folded her arms and glared at him. "You just weren't fast enough, I'm afraid."

"Wait till I get bigger! I'll outrun you!"

"We'll see about that, my darling," he teased, kissing her forehead and causing her to giggle.

One thing Cedric knew, after spending some much-needed time with Sofia and Nana, the two most important people in his life, was that things had been so much better. He'd been able to experience a sense of calm and tranquility that he'd once craved. Ever since those horrible wars had begun, he'd lived a life of uncertainty and dread, the possibility of torture and/or death constantly dangling over his head. To both his and Sofia's surprise, he was now a far calmer and more collected person, and he rarely became agitated over anything, which was a very refreshing and welcomed change.

Nana, in addition, loved that Cedric now spent time playing with her. He'd loosened up considerably from the first time they'd met a few years ago. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn this wasn't the same man. But…he was. And he was such a good role model for her: playing games with her, teaching her magic, and helping her in her progressing educational studies (which would become more involved in the next few years).

Other things had changed as well. True to their word after returning to this realm once more, Cedric and Sofia had prepared and trained themselves as much as possible to avoid any more potential disasters in the future, like what had happened with Arcadios. They didn't want a repeat of that terrible experience, so they'd set out plans and created weapons, hiding them in the castle just in case the time ever came for them to be used. But for now, they preferred to enjoy the peace that had been afforded them instead, and considering they currently had no opposition, that's exactly what they'd done.

"Best two out of three?" Cedric teased, watching as Nana grinned and nodded. He lowered her to the ground. "All right, Little Berry. I'll give you a five-second head start. One, two—"

"Bye!" Nana took off, giggling as Cedric gawked at her retreating form before hurrying after her. She felt him tap her on the head, so she laughed and turned, chasing after him now.

Cedric had almost reached the bench, deemed the 'safe spot,' when he felt a pair of small hands grab his pants legs. He chuckled and stopped, acquiescing, "You got me! I surrender!"

Nana panted before cheering happily. "Yay! Nana is the winner!"

"That doesn't surprise me."

The duo turned, seeing Sofia exiting the castle and entering the garden, a tray of cookies and goblets of apple juice for them to enjoy. Gone was her armor, instead replaced with a simple white dress with a few intricate purple and silver designs garnished throughout the fabric. She wore some purple flats as well.

She had originally wanted nothing to do with dresses (force of habit), but somehow, Amber had managed to persuade her with both pleas and cookies (always to her detriment, it seemed), and she'd relented. Given that she hadn't worn just simple dresses in such a long time, considering the fact that she was far more used to her armor, she had been so embarrassed whenever she had spoken to any of her few comrades from the knight armies and they'd complimented her on her new style. It had taken a lot of getting used to, but eventually, she'd eased into it as graciously as she could.

Unlike her Ever Realm counterpart, her hair remained much shorter, bouncing and curling around her shoulders as she walked, reminiscent of her childhood years. She had considered growing it out again at some point, but right now she preferred it at a shorter length. She was able to put it up into a short ponytail now though. She still had the scar on her left cheek, though that didn't deter people from noticing a very new and very positive change in the princess: her cheery and beautiful smile.

Like Cedric, it had been a long time since she'd felt a sense of peace. Unlike either of her counterparts from the Ever Realm or the Absentia Realm, she hadn't had a very positive experience growing up. Sure, Sofia from the Ever Realm had her fair share of hardships, but she'd been allowed to be a child and abstain from war, and she'd grown into a remarkable, resilient, and kindhearted young woman. And the Absentia Realm Sofia… She might as well have been a doll or even still a child herself: filled with innocence, curiosity, wonder, and pure joy. While this Sofia would never be like either of the other two, she at least was able to experience this positive change. After all, it had been a very long time since anyone in the castle had seen her genuine smile, and everyone was both relieved and happy to see it again. It meant she was finally recovering from the war. Sure, she still had a few scars, but she was unfazed: she was alive, she had her little family, and she was happy. For the first time in a long, long time…she was happy.

"Mama!" Nana called out, waving toward her as Sofia continued walking toward them. "You're just in time! Papa and I were playing tag!"

"Yes, Fia," Cedric added, smiling warmly at the princess, who returned the sentiment. "You're more than welcome to join us."

Both Cedric and Nana were stunned when Sofia's smile dropped from her face, and her amulet suddenly emitted a quick golden light. She'd begun tilting a bit toward the left, causing Nana to gasp.

Concerned, Cedric quickly hurried toward her, and with a combination of his training and exceptional magical skills, he swiftly caught her before she could collapse to the ground, using his hand to levitate the tray of goodies onto a nearby bench. "Sofia?"

"Mama!" Nana ran toward her parents, tears in her eyes as she stopped next to Cedric, gazing at her unconscious mother. "Papa… What's wrong with Mama?"

"Nana…." He looked up at her, his mind reeling with possibilities but trying to sort them into one conscious thought: "Quickly, go look for your Auntie Amber and Uncle James, and ask them to call the castle medic. I'm going to take your Mama to her room, and they can meet me there. Can you do that, little one?"

She nodded. "Yes, Papa!" She turned, rushing toward the castle, determined to do the task assigned to her.

Cedric sighed and pushed himself to his feet again, cradling his unconscious princess in his arms. "I've got you," he whispered gently as he began walking back toward her bedroom.

The sorcerer maneuvered the sleeping princess a bit as he opened her door, slipping inside the room, before using his foot to close the door back. He carried her to her bed, gently placing her on it. Her room had been remodeled after the events of the war, and she had a far more comfortable bed than she'd had when she was younger. He should know; he'd fallen asleep on it several nights when they'd read bedtime stories to their daughter…

He reached out with one hand, gently brushing his fingers over her forehead, frowning as she remained unconscious. "Sofia…"

Bang!

Cedric jumped a bit, startled, as the door to Sofia's room slammed open. He sighed in mild relief as he saw several members of the royal family entered. He noticed that Amber had a distraught-looking Nana in her arms, those green eyes lined with unshed tears. "Your Majesties, I…"

"Cedric, what happened to Sofia?" Roland asked, his voice laced with both nervousness and fear, though he'd never admit it. As far as they'd come in their bout of healing the last few years, it was still hard for him to trust Cedric sometimes. However, he knew that he'd been good for his daughter's remediation and, honestly, her wellbeing. And she'd been good for him. And even more surprisingly, they had both done so well as parents to little Nana—their Little Berry.

Cedric calmly began answering several questions that both the family and the medic had asked of him: "She just passed out all of a sudden." "No, I didn't see any sign of malice." "Yes, I saw her amulet glowing a strange color." "No, I don't know what that means…"

A silence fell over the room as they heard a groan from the princess on the bed, who had finally begun stirring ever so slightly.

Cedric, sighing in relief, sat next to her on her bed, taking her hand and kissing it once, causing her to both smile softly and blush lightly. "How are you feeling, Fia?"

"I…" She frowned as she lifted her free hand to the back of her head, wincing in pain. "I feel like something hard hit me in the back of my head…"

The sorcerer frowned as he checked the back of the princess's head, his eyes widening as he saw a large scar beneath her auburn locks. His fingers had barely brushed it, yet Sofia winced and managed a sharp intake of air. "Sofia… Where did you get this scar?"

Sofia groaned in pain, holding her head in both of her hands.

Cedric was about to use his magic to calm her pain, but he froze when he noticed that scars had begun appearing on his princess's arms. Even worse? She'd begun screaming as she tried to cover the places where those scars had begun appearing. "S-Sofia!" He heard their daughter's distraught cries, each one hammering into his heart.

"Papa!" Nana sniffled, disturbed by the sight of her mother in pain. "Please help her! Save my Mama!" She sobbed, turning and burying her face into Amber's dress as the blonde princess gently shushed her and ran her fingers through her hair to try to calm her down.

Thinking quickly, Cedric placed his hands on either side of Sofia's head and concentrated. He centered his healing magic into Sofia, allowing it to flow steadily into her. After a few minutes of tense silence, the others surrounding them hushed and only Nana's hiccups and soft sniffles still heard, Sofia finally calmed down. However, she'd become unconscious from the exhaustion and excruciating pain she'd felt. The sorcerer wasn't feeling great himself at this point, clearly exhausted, and he placed his hands on the side of the bed to balance himself. Most of his magic had gone into Sofia, which was quite a lot since she must have been in far greater pain for him to use half of his own energy to help her. He tensed as he felt a hand land on his shoulder, but he relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Cedric," Amber whispered, clearly worried about him. She then chanced a glance at her unconscious sister before releasing a squirming Nana from her grasp onto the bed instead. She watched as the little girl crawled over to her mother, then hugged her from the side before sobbing quietly again. "Is she…?"

"She's…stable," Cedric returned quietly, though he wasn't entirely confident in that statement himself. He knew he had to address the situation to the others though, and he stood as upright as he possibly could, considering the circumstances, and faced the other royals surrounding them. "She's calmed down. I'm hoping, given a bit of time and rest, that she will heal and be well again soon…"

As if on cue, the royal medic finally entered the room. "Stand aside, please," the medic requested, smiling appreciatively as the sorcerer did so. He began checking the princess's vitals. After a few minutes, he turned and offered the king and queen a comforting smile. "Her fever is quite high, though I'm willing to suggest it's likely from overexertion during training or something. It is rather hot today, after all." He turned toward a concerned Cedric, who didn't seem the least bit convinced by his analysis. "I'd suggest having someone look after her to ensure that she rests, gets proper medication, and is given her food and water when possible."

While the medic continued speaking with the royal family, Cedric stared helplessly down at his partner, who was now breathing harshly in labored inhalations. He noted her flushed face, red from fever, and how she was contorted in clear pain. 'This isn't normal,' he thought to himself, recalling the sudden pain and newly formed scars from literally nowhere. Once the medic had left, he swiftly turned to Roland. "I'll look after Sofia for the rest of the day, Your Majesty."

Roland, who once would have turned down the proposal, offered the sorcerer a firm nod of approval. He knew he could trust Cedric again, especially with Sofia. He had, after all, literally died for her and helped her end the years of war in their realm. If he didn't trust him now, he'd be a fool.

Cedric gave the king the smallest of smiles and nodded in appreciation.

The royal family was about to leave to gather things that Sofia might have needed for her recovery when they heard a soft gasp from Nana, who was still nestled beside her ill mother. They quickly turned toward her, noticing that Nana had placed her hands on the princess's face when she'd seen that she'd finally awoken.

A bit dazed but finally conscious enough to place her hand on her daughter's head, Sofia whimpered softly.

Cedric quickly scrambled toward his partner's side, caressing her head gently. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

She could only groan quietly in reply as she attempted to relax her body, despite being sick. She gave her partner a sad smile, reaching out slowly for his hand, pulling it over one of her flushed cheeks.

The sorcerer conjured a chair next to her bed and sat, gently caressing his thumb against the princess's cheek, staring worriedly at her and using his free hand to caress his daughter's head, as she now was resting against her mother's chest.

"Wh-What happened?" Sofia finally managed, her voice sounding mildly raspy. "I…remember being outside, and then I think I collapsed? I don't remember anything after that…"

Cedric took in a calming breath before moving his hand to her head, feeling the eyes of the royal family on them as he relayed to her what had happened: from the collapse, to the screams of pain due to the scars that had appeared on her head and arms, and up to this point. "Before you collapsed," he continued, "your amulet glowed golden."

Sofia frowned as she traced her fingers along some of her new scars, wincing as she felt another wave of dizziness. "Cedric…"

He sighed in frustration, unsure what was going on with his partner. To him, the scars were so random. They looked as though they'd healed from a long time ago, even though they'd only just appeared. …Unless…

The princess gasped, and Cedric blinked in surprise when the Amulet of Avalor started pulsating a golden light. Everyone in the room stared in awe as it started to levitate and hover in Cedric's direction. Sofia stared in confusion for a few seconds but decided to test her theory. She slowly reached her hands behind her head, wincing as she felt the stinging phantom pain of her scars, and unclasped her amulet. She stared in wonder as it floated toward Cedric.

Cedric was frozen in place as the amulet clasped itself around his neck. The amulet stopped pulsating and instead glowed very brightly before releasing a beam of light toward the other side of Sofia's bed. The force of the action made Cedric fall from his chair, causing him to groan in pain.

Sofia slowly and achingly pushed herself up, protectively pulling Nana closer toward her.

Everyone in the room stared as a huge portal morphed into existence, created by the golden blast from the amulet.

The sorcerer shakily stood from where he fell, staring in shock at the portal. The silence in the room was broken when he yelped, struggling as the amulet began tugging him toward the portal.

The princess frowned in contemplation. Her amulet only did that when there was an important mission to tend to, especially during her Protector duties or a mission for unfinished stories from the Secret Library. She snapped out of her thoughts as she again heard another yelp from Cedric. She was about to stand and explain to Cedric what was going on when another wave of dizziness struck her, and without realizing it, she whimpered in pain.

"Sofia, stop," Roland urged her as he immediately moved to her side, gently holding her down, along with Nana. "Just be still…"

"But Cedric…"

The others were trying to help Cedric, attempting to pull him away from the portal, but the force was too strong. They were losing their grip on him, and the amulet was tugging him away from the room.

Sofia decided against explaining and instead gathered enough strength to pull away from Roland and Nana as she clumsily stumbled over to Cedric, standing in front of him. She held onto Cedric's arms for support, and that was the only time the amulet stopped tugging him toward the mysterious portal, but it continued levitating and glowing, as if waiting for Sofia to say something. She took a deep, steady breath, glancing up toward Cedric as he gently supported her by her shoulders and offered her such a worried look; it almost seemed like he hadn't just been dragged across the room by a magical item. His focus was solely on her, and that thought to the princess was…

"Sofia?" he asked softly, his fingers brushing through her hair to get her attention.

She shook her head, forgoing her thoughts and instead focusing on the matter at hand. "I have a theory," she finally told him. "In the past, the amulet has pulled me into missions or important situations without warning. This could be one of those times, and you may be involved instead… Maybe it has something to do with…" She glanced at her scar-covered body, feeling self-conscious as his eyes trailed to the same spots.

Cedric looked back at her seriously. "If my mission can solve this mystery and save you from further pain, I'll accept it, as long as you're safe…"

Unsure what had come over her (and perhaps placing some blame on her fever), Sofia smiled softly at her partner and gently tugged on his collar, pulling his face down enough for her to place the sweetest kiss on his cheek, right in front of everyone.

He turned beet red, choking on the words he'd been about to say. Sure, he and Sofia were very close, but they never showed affection like this in front of others… What had come over her? Maybe the fever? Or…

The others in the room were watching with a mix of surprise and amusement, especially the twins. Amber hid a smirk behind her hand while James whistled lowly, giving Cedric a secretive thumbs up. Nana even cooed at the sweet moment between her parents.

Cedric was about to say something when the amulet again started tugging him toward the portal, out of Sofia's grasp as she stood aside. He sighed in exasperation, knowing that it wouldn't allow him to wait any longer. "I guess…I'm supposed to go…"

They all wished him well as Nana quickly slid from the bed, hurrying over to hug his leg firmly yet quickly. "Good luck, Papa! I know you'll be able to help Mama. Come home soon!" She turned as she noticed that Sofia had slowly begun hunching over, her energy beginning to drain again. "Mama!" She quickly hurried over to her, gripping her dress in her small hands. "Mama?"

Just as Cedric was about to enter the portal, a thought came to him. Before he knew it, his body moved on his own accord, sprinting toward Sofia, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, and then quickly diving into the portal on his own terms, sparing himself from embarrassment (as if his reddening face wasn't evidence enough).

Sofia was only able to stare, her fevered state hiding her actual blush that was beginning to coat her face, the portal now vanishing from her room.

Roland finally broke the silence. "What was that?"

The princess laughed nervously, waving a dismissive hand as her other one rested on her daughter's head. "It's nothing, Dad… Just something friends do… I was a little delirious earlier, with…the fever…and everything…"

"Right, Sofia," Amber teased as she and James helped their younger sister back into bed. She whispered so only her siblings could hear, "You're a terrible liar."

Sofia felt a little dizzy, her face growing redder and warmer, but this time it had nothing to do with her fever…

To be continued…