Royal Rumble

Summary: Enchancia is hosting a competition called the Royal Rumble between their kingdom (as well as a few visiting members) and another kingdom called Carpus. However, what starts off as friendly rivalry quickly descends into madness as members from the opposing team start causing unnecessary drama and chaos. (Collab with MarionetteJ2X)

Disclaimer: Oh, boy… lol. I own the following: Corban, Alamea, Sir Finlay, Gabriella, Sapphire, Davina, Zinnia, Angel, Corban's new puppy named Ollie, and (if she shows up) Nina. All other OCs (especially Nana and Tanya) and the games belong to MarionetteJ2X (except a few that were from the show), and everything else is Craig Gerber's. Phew. Haha.

A/N: All righty, time for day two! And maybe a few more shenanigans while we're at it. 😉

Chapter 5: Royal Rumble Day Two

"Cedric, come look!" Sofia called excitedly as she knelt down next to a plant in her secret garden. She observed it with careful precision as her partner knelt in front of her, peering at the peculiar plant as well. "What is this? I've never seen anything like it before."

The flower almost looked like a normal bloom, but it was missing the typical petals. The stem, a few leaves, and the pistil base were visible, but the petals were nowhere to be seen. On top of that, it had a curious glittering purple aura surrounding it.

"It's a soulicia," he explained as she blinked up at him. "Some theorists believe that soulicias have the ability to predict the longevity of a relationship. Two people simply touch the flower on the stem near its root, and the more petals that bloom, the longer the relationship will last and stronger it will be. If the petals fall off, it wasn't meant to be."

"Well, that's comforting," she laughed. She reached down, gently caressing the flower's stem. "I wonder if people actually believe that."

"My mother certainly did." He chuckled. "She said the flower that she and my father touched had sixty-eight petals. I'd say that's a fairly decent number." He also reached down to the flower, touching the stem with a mild sense of curiosity.

Sofia smiled thoughtfully. "I think it's really sweet… I like the idea of…" She trailed off as she saw the flower begin reacting to their fingers, which had barely brushed one another. She gasped as several purple petals bloomed all over the pistil base, nearly coating the upper part of the plant. She gaped at it for a moment before looking up at Cedric. "U-Um…"

Cedric swallowed nervously as he reluctantly withdrew his hand. "Sofia… Did you…? I-I mean… The soulicia reacts to…to strong f-feelings between—"

"I've got to go." The princess stood up, brushing off her outfit as she did so. Before Cedric could say anything, she smiled quickly and waved. "Later, Cedric!" With that, she took off.

"Wait, Sofia! Come back! Sofia!"

"Sofia!"

"Sofia," Cedric mumbled against his pillow, reaching out with one hand, grasping at nothing but air.

"Papa… Papa, wake up. You are going to be late."

The sorcerer hummed softly before pulling the covers over his head. "I don't want to get up yet… Five more minutes." Truth be told, he wasn't sure he was ready to face the day just yet. That dream…wasn't just a dream. It was a replay of precisely what had happened a week or so ago. During training, as a matter of fact, when Sofia had decided to pull him away for a bit. He'd nearly forgotten it till now… Strange the way the mind worked.

"Come on, Papa." Tanya giggled as Nana crawled onto Cedric's back and hugged him through the covers. "You are very much needed during the game today. This Triplenet game will hopefully go better than the events of yesterday."

Cedric sighed and lowered his covers, turning and smiling as he gathered Nana into his arms, hugging her as she giggled. "I quite agree, my darling. I'm hoping for better results as well." He chuckled as the little girl kissed his nose before squirming out of his hold, sliding onto the bed and using his covers to lower herself to the floor. "I see you are both already dressed."

"We were awake an hour ago," Tanya informed him as she followed Nana. "We decided to go ahead and prepare for the day."

"I see… Well, why don't you both head into the castle and get some breakfast? I'll be along soon enough." Seeing them nod and take each other's hands, hurrying off, Cedric sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I hope today goes better than yesterday…" He frowned as his mind ventured back to his dream. "Perhaps…I should talk to her about that… She hasn't even said anything about it since it happened…" He shook his head. "Maybe later."

Finally, he stood up and stretched, feeling his muscles loosen up as he did. "Right then…" He cracked his knuckles before smirking to himself. "Let's get this day started."

At breakfast in the dining hall, both teams were gathered, along with the visitors or other spectators for the event. Due to the increase of members for the occasion, Roland had asked Cordelia to make the table longer than usual, and more chairs accompanied, of course.

Everyone was already gathered, the team members dressed in their outfits, and they were eating a grand breakfast of eggs, ham, fruits, bread, and several other foods, and there were many varieties of juices at their leisure, as well. The children ate at their own table, and there was plenty of laughter with all the little ones gathered.

"Cedric, would you kindly pass the bread?" Zeke asked from across the table, the teasing lilt to his voice just as obvious as the slight smirk on his face.

"It's closer to you than it is to me, Zeke," Cedric remarked, Sofia on his right rolling her eyes and Greylock on his left snickering. "You could just—oh, I don't know—reach forward and take it?"

"But my arm hurts a bit from yesterday…" He grinned. "Must be all those horseshoes I tossed and scored, thus winning our team a victory, eh?" His gaze shifted toward Sofia, who blinked at him. "I don't suppose your lovely princess would have any suggestions for…easing the pain in a wounded sorcerer's arm?"

Sofia's look of confusion morphed into one of mild annoyance. "Maybe put some heat on it, Zeke."

"I've heard the warmth of a woman's hands surpasses any other forms of…heat." He smiled charmingly toward the princess, who appeared surprised by his words. "Perhaps we should find out if that's true."

Sensing Cedric tensing up near her, Sofia reached down and took his hand underneath the table. She smiled gently toward him before glancing back at Zeke, that smile changing to a smirk. "Maybe you're right, Zeke. In fact, there is a woman who would probably love to make your acquaintance…" She winked at him as he grinned. "If you're up to it, of course."

He chuckled. "Oh, Princess Sofia… I'm up to any challenge you issue me."

"Great. Tonight at 8:00 PM, be at the small blue and brown cottage on the edge of Dunwiddie. Knock three times on the door and call out, 'Open the door, be still my heart, and never shall our bond depart.' Think you can remember that?"

Zeke nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, dear princess…" He smiled excitedly and reached across the table, snatching the bread he'd so desired. "Well, look at that, Cedric…" He smirked toward his old classmate. "Turns out both a woman's warm touch and enticing words can make a man feel better." He laughed and stood from the table as a few others from Carpus also prepared to leave. "Hey, Idris! Omari! Wait up!" He took a bite of his bread before tossing the rest onto his mostly empty plate, and then he jogged after the others.

"…I hope he gags on that bread," Greylock mumbled as he sipped some of his juice.

"Greylock," Sofia chided as she glanced toward him, the look of disapproval evident on her face. "Regardless of the situation, that's not nice."

"She's right, Greylock," Cedric confirmed, the look of irritation he'd worn the whole time melting into a sneer. "That's too much. Perhaps instead of relying on karma, we should instead take matters into our own hands."

The princess sighed, giving her partner a pointed look.

Greylock smirked. "You distract him, and I'll trip him with my crutch."

"…All right. Ow!" Cedric glanced over toward Sofia, who'd just pinched his arm. "What was that for?"

"You two need to stop plotting. You're not villains anymore."

"Too bad," the Enchancian royal sorcerer lamented, folding his arms. "This is one issue I wouldn't mind spending some time in the dungeon for."

"And then you'd miss out on the girls growing up," Sofia remarked, narrowing her eyes at him as he gulped, leaning back a bit as she folded her own arms. "Smart, Cedric."

"Sofia, I was only joking…" He unfolded his arms and reached up, tucking some of her loose tendrils of hair behind her ear. He smiled as she sighed, still frowning. "We wouldn't risk losing what we've got now. We've both got our own families… Zeke won't ruin that for us."

"Although, I must ask…" Greylock leaned around Cedric to see Sofia turn her attention to him. "What exactly do you have planned for the old chap tonight?"

Sofia's disappointed look quickly changed to a sneaky one. "That's for me to know and him to find out." She winked at them. "You're not the only ones who can come up with a crafty plan. Unlike you guys, though, it won't get anyone hurt or imprisoned… It'll just hopefully teach him a lesson."

"Will we at least be able to see this plan in action?"

Cedric nodded as he lowered his hand, his smirk returning. "Right. If it's something that's going to put him in his place, then this I've got to see."

She laughed. "I'm not sure you'll be totally on board with the plan…"

"Try me."

Sofia nodded. "All right, Cedric. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Since the games wouldn't begin until around 2:00 PM that day, everyone decided to enjoy themselves, doing their own thing, pretty much. Nigel was helping both Violet and Baileywick, who'd teamed up to take care of the castle until she was needed for the game announcements. Roland and Hayden were hanging out with Miranda, Amber, Desmond, and their little ones, spending time getting to know each other while they walked around outside. Most of the other Carpus members were spending time getting to know their opponents, which seemed to be going rather well.

Cedric and Sofia were hanging out in a common room with Greylock, Sir Finlay, and Gabriella. All the kids were spending some time together with Calista and Angel for the time being, learning some new magic spells for fun.

"Tag-Team Triplenet, huh?" Greylock yawned as he propped his leg onto the table in front of him. "Sounds more competitive than the horseshoe thing anyway. And how exactly are you planning to win this event?"

"I believe Prince Daniel said he was great at serving, so he may be our key to success," Sir Finlay responded. "I know quite well that I am far better with returning the ball rather than serving it, so I suppose I'm inclined to believe what he says."

"I really couldn't care less right now," Gabriella admitted as she lounged near the end of a second sofa, slouched next to Sofia, who giggled. "I just want some food. For the baby, and for myself. I'm starving."

"You did eat this morning, didn't you?" Cedric asked in concern.

"Of course I did, Cedric." She smirked. "But when you're eating for two, it tends to take a little more than normal to fill you up. Well, sometimes… Depends on the day, really."

Sofia stood. "Maybe I can find you some snacks or something while we're waiting." She grinned as she turned around and backed toward the door. "Do you prefer fruits or vegetables?"

"How about sweets?" Gabriella suggested playfully. "The more sugary, the better."

"I'll see what I can find—ah!" The princess blinked as she turned, finding herself face to face with Zeke. "Oh, Zeke… I didn't see you there."

"How could you?" he teased. "You were walking backwards. An admirable skill, I must admit." He picked up her hand. "Apologies for bumping into you, dear princess." He placed one gentle kiss to her hand, causing her to blink.

Cedric growled, standing up from his seat near Greylock. "Get your grimy hands off my partner," he warned as he walked over toward them.

"Cedric," Sofia began, but she couldn't say anything else as he reached out, taking her hand and pulling her toward him.

Zeke chuckled, smirking. "I didn't hear her objecting."

She turned toward the other sorcerer, eyes narrowing. "I didn't agree either!"

Cedric whipped out his wand with his free hand. "Get your wand ready, Ezekiel. Allow me to teach you some manners and a little lesson in common courtesy."

Zeke grinned and withdrew his own wand. "Ah, so that's the way we're playing it, eh? You might want to move the girl out of the way, then. I wouldn't want to damage such beauty when I succeed in my own magical victory against you, Cedric."

"Oh, bring it on, Zeke… I dare you."

The sorcerers both paused when the door to the room squeaked a bit, and Nigel poked his head inside, an oblivious smile on his face. "Yoo-hoo! Violet says lunch is ready!" With that, he turned and left.

Cedric sheathed his wand, tightening his hold on Sofia's hand as he pulled her toward the door. "After we eat."

Zeke smirked as the partners left, followed by their friends. He narrowed his eyes toward Greylock, who stared at him suspiciously as he ambled out, his crutches clomping on the marble floor as he did. "Keep eyeing me, Greylock… See what happens next time…" Without another word, he left.

The next game was Tag-Team Triplenet, and the players and spectators both had to travel to the Enchancia Square Garden for the next game. While the triple net had been on a smaller scale during one of the Tri-Kingdom Picnics several years ago, this particular court was much larger to accommodate more players. There were, however, three members per team at each net, making the game far more challenging; because now, not only did they have to worry about keeping the ball in the air, but they also had to worry about opposing members on the same court trying to take their chance at scoring away. Thus, the 'tag-team' part, where the members literally had to tag-team together to get their win. There would also be one team member per group whose sole job was to put the ball into play, thus simply acting as the server each time.

Violet explained the rules to the groups, who responded in affirmation their understanding. She turned and was preparing to move to the side, when she ran into Brandon, who placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled suavely down at her. "Excuse me, Mr. Brandon. Please release my shoulders."

"My father always told me to never let a good thing go." He winked, causing his protégé to gag behind him. "If I take his advice, perhaps I'll have my own little piece of heaven. A slice of heavenly pie, I guess you could say."

Porter rolled his eyes so hard that he almost gave himself a headache. "Good grief…"

The normally docile woman smiled dangerously, causing him to blink as she reached up and pinched his hand, making him yelp in pain. "If you're not careful, sir, you'll find yourself with a different slice of pie. One that is far too scorching for you to bear." With that, she walked off to the side with the spectators.

Brandon grinned excitedly toward Porter, who raised his eyebrows at his mentor. "You hear that, Porter? She likes it spicy!"

Porter laughed uneasily. "That's what you got out of that, huh?" It was a safe assumption at this point that his mentor was likely in a heavy state of denial.

On one court, Enchancia's three team members consisted of Sir Finlay, Tarrant, and James, while the Carpus team members consisted of Rodney, Captain Thiago, and Haegan; on the second court, Cedric, Dante, and Angel resided, along with Zeke, Idris, and Nakamo; and on the third court, Roland, Desmond, and Bonvis stayed, along with Benson, Kabir, and Omari. The two remaining members of each team, Daniel and King Hayden, were the servers for their teams who would put the ball into play.

Violet turned from her spot near Sofia, who was now standing next to her, and called, "And go!"

Since Carpus won the first game, King Hayden put the first ball into play, serving it toward the nets. All the guys scrambled to hit at it, and Omari knocked it over the net toward Idris, who fumbled and was outdone as Angel slid under his arms, spiking it toward the other side. It bounced in the court and rolled away.

"Nice job, Angel!" James called from his side, grinning at his friend.

"Yes, nice job, little brat," Zeke snarled as he eyed the Native boy in annoyance. "That move probably wasn't even legal."

"It was, Zeke," Omari told his teammate, frowning at the sorcerer. "No need to show animosity toward the boy."

"He had better watch where he's stepping next time then."

Angel blinked as both Cedric and Nakamo placed a hand on his shoulder, seemingly checking on him. He smiled at the compassion from his friend and his new acquaintance. "I am fine. Do not worry."

"That's one point for Enchancia," Violet announced after the mild scuffle. "Enchancia serves next."

Hayden tossed the ball to Daniel, who swiftly put it into play. Bonvis was the first to hit the ball over the net, and Tarrant spiked it back. Kabir hit the ball this time, sending it to the other court, where Haegan and Captain Thiago both moved to hit the ball. The captain was successful, and it bounced off another court.

"And that's one point for Carpus!" Violet nodded from her spot on the sidelines. She sighed and glanced at Sofia standing beside her. "This might take a while if you want to sit down, Princess."

Sofia grinned. "That's okay, Violet. I can see better from here anyway."

"Yeah, she has a better view of Cedric," Amber called playfully, smirking as her sister blushed and glared at her. "Oh, tell me I'm wrong."

"Stop that, Amber!"

Hayden served the ball, watching as the team members all moved to hit it. He narrowed his eyes toward his royal sorcerer, who jabbed Cedric in the abdomen before hitting the ball over the net toward Benson, who kept the ball in play. "Hmm…"

Cedric groaned and stumbled a bit as he held his stomach, even as the game continued.

When the ball returned to their court, Nakamo didn't even move to make a hit, and neither did Idris. Zeke yelled as he spiked the ball over the net, scoring another point.

"YEAH!" He laughed uproariously as he turned to lift his hand toward Idris, who glared at him. "Idris, what gives?"

"You played unfairly," he responded in a very calm, baritone voice. He pointed toward Cedric, whom Angel and Dante were both checking on. "You hurt an opponent, Zeke. That is not good sportsmanship."

"Give me a break." He scoffed. "This is a competition. If you can't take getting hurt for a goal, maybe…" He turned toward Cedric, whose gaze was heavily focused on him now, his eyebrows furrowed. "…you shouldn't be here."

"Excuse me," King Hayden called out, turning his attention from his sorcerer to Violet. "I'd like to request that the recent point be placed on Enchancia's team, since my royal sorcerer doesn't know how to play fairly."

Violet nodded silently.

"You okay, Cedric?" Dante asked gently as he and Angel continued supporting the sorcerer. Seeing him nod, he frowned. "Sure?"

"Yes," he managed, smiling at the other two. "Let's finish this game…" He saw an infuriated Zeke turn to glare at him, and, given that the other sorcerer's own king had called him out on his unfair and spiteful move, he couldn't help smirking. "And let's win, shall we?"

The game continued for several more minutes, and the final score was 22 to 18, in Enchancia's favor.

"Good game," Roland told the other king as they shook hands. "Aside from a few minor setbacks in the game, I think your team played really well."

"Thank you. However…" Hayden turned and pointed toward Zeke, who gulped. "Meet me in the throne room when we return to the castle. We need to have a talk." With that, he and Roland left as the others either followed or hurried to meet up with the spectators.

"Turns out you were right," Cedric laughed tiredly as he smiled toward Daniel, who grinned. "You as a server? Brilliant idea."

James snickered. "That's my line, Cedric! But I agree." He playfully punched Daniel in the arm, but not hard enough to hurt him. "Good game!"

"Thanks, James!"

"Daddy!" Isadora squealed as she ran toward Dante, who scooped her into his arms. "You were good!"

Dante chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Thank you, Issy."

The princess's smile faded as she glanced toward Zeke, who had his back turned to all of them as he had begun walking back to the castle. "But that man was bad and mean to Ceddy…"

"I know, sweetie. I know…"

"He wouldn't like it if we punched him in the stomach," Sapphire claimed, her hands on her hips. "No one hurts our Ceddy."

"Yeah!" Davina called out, hurrying to stand next to her sister, eyeing her curiously before copying her movements. "He's a meanie!"

"And he's ugly!" Vibbi yelled, her little shark teeth peeping out each time she spoke, causing Bonvis to snicker while Yohanna actually tried to be the sensible guardian and chide the girl for saying such a rude thing (even if she wanted the little one to keep trash-talking the other sorcerer).

Zinnia nodded from her spot near Greylock, who had one arm wrapped around her for comfort. "Yeah! He shouldn't be so terrible to our Ceddy!"

Cedric smiled at the children, who all seemed to be on his side. "Thank you, children. I appreciate it." He glanced down toward Nana, who had her hands extended toward him. Seeing that expression on her face, though, he knew she didn't just want to be held. "There is nothing to heal, Nana. I'm fine…"

Sofia picked the little girl up and placed her on his shoulder, anyway, giggling as the little one hugged her Papa's head. "Aw. Maybe not, but I think a little Nana love goes a long way…"

Cedric chuckled, patting his daughter's back. "That it does."

The princess kissed her partner's cheek, smiling sweetly at him. "Don't worry though. I'll make you feel better tonight."

"Oh, will you?" Amber asked slyly as she patted Alamea's back. She grinned as her sister blushed. "Do tell, Sofia…"

"I mean…!" She blushed darker as she noticed Cedric's look of shock. "W-With the…the plan!"

"Oh, there's a 'plan' now," James teased as he nudged his twin. "That sounds like an organized rendezvous to me, sis."

"Not that kind of—oh, come on, Cedric." Sofia grabbed Cedric's free hand and tugged him along, Tanya following closely behind them.

Greylock laughed after the little family had left. He smiled up at Amber and James, who helped him to his feet. "They don't see it yet, do they?"

"I think they're starting to," James assured him as he handed the sorcerer his crutches. "I always thought Cedric was clueless, but honestly… I don't really think so anymore."

"I think they're just being cautious in their own ways," Amber added as she rocked her daughter back and forth, smiling as Desmond walked up near her and wrapped an arm around her. "Not sure why. I think everyone else already sees what's going on."

"Except maybe Dad," James laughed.

"Zeke, your actions are inexcusable," King Hayden said sternly, glaring at the other man as they stood in the center of the throne room with Roland and Miranda nearby. Even Corban was standing near his parents, innocently watching them. "It is one thing to be competitive, but to assault an opponent for no reason is absolutely ridiculous."

"With all due respect, King Hayden, I didn't 'assault' Cedric," the sorcerer defended with a bit of an irritated sigh. "I simply nudged him out of my way."

"The rules say that there is no bodily contact allowed," Roland pointed out, folding his arms. "Regardless of how you feel about the opposing team, hurting one of their members is not the way to handle things."

Zeke felt the desperate urge to roll his eyes, but given that he had two kings staring him down, not to mention a queen and young prince watching from nearby, he abstained from doing so. "I'm…terribly sorry, Your Majesties… I'll…" He coughed once. "I'll find Cedric and…apologize."

"That would be best," the king of Carpus suggested. "The last thing I'd want is bad blood between our kingdoms."

"Yes, King Hayden." Without another word, Zeke turned and left the room.

"He hurt Cedric?" Miranda asked at last, a bit taken aback by this information. "How?"

"He slammed into him during the match today," Roland explained. "Cedric doubled over in pain, and it took Angel and Dante to check on him. He seemed okay when we left, but he is probably still a bit hurt."

"That mean man hurt Ceddy?!" Corban gasped, frowning with his tiny fists balled. "Throw him in the dungeon! Take away his toys! Make him eat broccoli!"

Miranda chuckled as her son finished his outraged suggestions. "I'm sure Cedric is fine, Corban…" She glanced toward the kings. "But I sure hope that sort of thing won't happen again…"

"I'm going to do my best to see to it that it doesn't, Queen Miranda," King Hayden told her. "I assure you."

"Are you feeling okay?" Sofia asked that evening as she and the girls were lying in Cedric's bed next to him, all of them curled up next to him.

Nana was sleeping next to his head on his left, and Tanya was also on his left, curled into his side. Sofia was on his right, her head resting on his shoulder as her hand gently caressed his abdomen through his shirt.

Cedric sighed, smiling at her. "I'm fine, Sofia… It's going to take more than a pathetic jab to my stomach to get me down."

She laughed softly. "Glad to hear it." She glanced at the clock on his dresser and squinted a bit. "Does that say 7:30?"

He looked toward the clock and hummed. "Yes." His attention returned to her. "Why do you-? Oh…" A curious expression formed on his face as she sat up, sliding off his bed on the other side. "You're about to do that thing with Zeke, aren't you?"

"Mm-hmm." She smirked playfully. "Want to come?"

"But the girls…"

"Are sleeping. And we can write a note to let them know we'll be back soon if they just so happen to wake up." She walked to his door, placed a hand on the doorknob, and then turned back to her partner. "Coming?"

Cedric considered her question before finally nodding and standing up, repositioning the girls under the covers and kissing their foreheads. "We'll be back," he told them quietly before penning a quick note, leaving it on his bedside table, and then following Sofia out of the room.

Nana and Tanya continued sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of their guardians' absence.

"We've gotta be quiet," Sofia told Cedric as they moved along through the castle. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"Too late."

The partners gasped and paused just before reaching the main doors, turning and seeing Greylock leaning against a wall with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Greylock, why are you lurking about?" Cedric asked as he sighed. "Shouldn't you be with Zinnia?"

"Princess Amber and her husband are kindly allowing her to sing their daughter asleep while I'm getting a little bit of time to myself. Or I was, until you both came tarrying along through the castle, looking like you're on a mission." He then gasped in realization. "Ooh, is this about that thing from this morning?"

"Yes," Sofia whispered urgently, gesturing with her hands to get him to lower his voice. "And if you stay quiet, you can come with us to see my plan in action."

He grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't miss it. Especially if it's still a plan to get back at Zed—er, Zeke." He chuckled at the sarcastic looks from the other two. "What? He's a 'bad guy.' He doesn't deserve to have his name said right anyway."

Cedric smirked. "I'm with you on that one, for a change…"

With a bit of effort, the trio made their way to the outer area of Dunwiddie, hiding near a brush as they had the little brown and blue cottage in their sights. It didn't take long for them to see Zeke, who was interestingly on time for 8:00 PM, walk up to the door of the cottage and knock three times.

"Let's see if he can follow directions," Sofia mumbled as they watched and listened.

Zeke smirked as he said confidently, "Open the door, be still my heart, and never shall our bond depart!" To his utter surprise, the door swung open, and out walked…Sofia?

Cedric blinked, his mouth dropping open. "Sofia… Why are there two of you?"

She didn't respond and instead just smiled secretively.

The other Sofia was dressed in a long pink gown with her hair in a high ponytail, pulled tight with several purple and pink ribbons streaming down the length of her wavy hair. Unlike the actual Sofia, she didn't have a lot to say. She just stood there, staring down Zeke, who finally snapped out of it.

"W-Well, then, Princess Sofia…" He laughed. "I wasn't…actually expecting you to be here. I was sure…that…"

"That what, Zeke?" the other Sofia asked, a sickeningly sweet lilt to her voice as she smirked and approached him slowly, watching as he slowly backed up. "That I wasn't…interested?" She held out one hand, watching as he stopped, merely upon seeing her actions. "That's better." With him still and waiting to see what she'd do next, she circled him, touching his shoulder in the process. "You're not too shabby, you know."

Greylock snorted at the other Sofia's words. "Beg to differ. If she'd been around during his teen years, she would absolutely have seen the definition of 'shabby.'"

Cedric hadn't responded, because he felt a bit odd about the scene unfolding before him. He was sure that the princess beside him was indeed his Sofia, but he still was uncertain about who the other one was and what exactly this plan was supposed to be.

The pink-clad Sofia paused in front of Zeke, giggling at his blushing features as she reached up and cupped his cheek. "Blushing? Because of me?" She grinned as she leaned forward. "How…charming." Her eyes closed and she leaned in like she was going to kiss him.

Zeke gasped but closed his eyes, his lips slightly puckered as he waited.

Sofia grinned and withdrew her wand, aiming it at the other girl. "Revelare verum."

In a flash, the other Sofia had vanished, and Wormwood was left hovering before the Carpus sorcerer, who was clearly oblivious. The raven smirked before cawing loudly, causing Zeke to yelp and fall backwards, stumbling into a trough with a mix of water and mud.

"Ugh…" He glared up at the raven, whom he recognized as Cedric's familiar. "You horrid bird! I ought to pluck every last feather from your wretched body and roast you on a spit!" After dragging himself out of the trough and trying futilely to dry his clothes, he stormed away from the cottage in a flustered and angry manner, ranting to himself about how he'd been fooled.

The three friends, still relatively hidden nearby, burst into laughter.

Wormwood flew over to them, alighting onto Sofia's shoulder. He eyed her pointedly. "I'll have you know, you owe me big time for that little stunt."

She grinned. "Fair enough."

"I'm rather impressed that you of all people concocted such a devious plan," Cedric admitted with a laugh. "I'm even more surprised that Wormy agreed to go along with it. When did you two even plan that anyway?"

Sofia giggled. "During the little bit of downtime we had…"

"Perhaps now he'll leave the princess alone," the bird sighed. "As much as he's annoying you all, he's annoying the rest of us as well. Every snide 'Birdy want a cracker?' quip of his makes me want to scratch his eyes out."

"Maybe he'll get the hint then, and stop bothering you and everyone else," Greylock concluded, nodding.

Zeke had overheard their conversation and hidden behind a tree to hear the rest. He should have been even angrier, knowing that Sofia was the one who'd executed this wicked plan. But for some reason, he was actually even more intrigued now. She'd outwitted him, and that, to him, was extremely impressive and exciting. "Now, I have to make her mine," he chuckled softly. "At any cost." He knew she'd shown no interest in him. He knew she was obviously committed to taking care of her little girls, and she seemed to have a very, very close bond with Cedric. But that was no matter to him.

He'd never been told 'no' before. Not like this. "And I don't intend to start now." He grinned. "She'll be mine, somehow…" With that, he turned and hurried back to the castle.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Royal Rumble Day 3