Malum In Se
Summary: Sofia and her friends and family face their biggest challenge yet when the Never Realm rises up and unleashes the most dangerous magic wielders in the world. It's going to take the help of everyone, including some unexpected allies, to defeat the Never Realm and its most supreme evil being: Malum In Se.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First. However, I do own the Never Realm, Malum In Se, and several other OCs in here. Nana belongs to MarionetteJ2X.
A/N: Okay! For everyone who was waiting for the kids to interact, this chapter is for you! And yes, Greylock is finally going to find out about Nana, which is something a few people have been asking me to write. Lol. It's here! We'll get some good old-fashioned Cedric-and-Greylock bantering. Haha. AND you'll find out just who spoke the quotes in the last chapter, and to whom they refer. Oh, yes, and we'll also see some of the adults discuss plans for keeping Enchancia safe. You'll be able to see and hear from more than just those who've already spoken, too—if not in this chapter, than in the upcoming ones. LOTS going on.
Chapter 7: Innocence Among Imperilment
Since the arrival of the aids to help combat the Never Realm, there had been plenty of discussion ongoing the last several hours: particularly about which magical methods could finally bring down the Never Realm.
"I'm just saying," Roland said with an impatient sigh, "that seeing as the Never Realm has existed for so long, and also seeing how so many of you are so powerful, I don't understand why nothing has been done about it until now. How are you going to defeat the Never Realm?"
"A perfectly logical and reasonable question, King Roland," Malango the Magnanimous acquiesced. "And unfortunately, we do not have an answer for you."
"It is true," Merlin, who had recently arrived with Goodwyn and Winifred after witnessing the events of the Never Realm's pursuit, added. "Even I am ashamed to admit that I'm uncertain how to take on perhaps the worst and wickedest realm ever known to man. We would essentially be battling evil itself."
"That begs the question," Quilor raised, "of how you can destroy something that was technically never created to begin with. Evil has always existed, as far as we know, and Malum In Se literally means 'evil in itself.'"
"Exactly," Bonvis concurred, nodding at his brother. "It seems like a pointless battle, if you ask me. And that is coming from someone who was once corrupted with wickedness."
"I think we're going about this the wrong way," Lucinda countered, nudging her mother, who was glaring at Esme (who appeared bored and was mimicking the others with her hands). "You said it yourself: pure evil is what we're up against. That seems to indicate that only the opposite of evil can bring it down."
"What is the opposite of evil?" Miranda asked, shrugging. "My first instinct is to say 'goodness,' but there's not one person in the entire Ever Realm who is completely good. We may possess good qualities, but everyone has flaws and has done something bad at least once—even lying."
"You are on the right track, Queen Miranda," Lady Maeve told her with an air of mystery. "But rather than good versus evil, evaluate this in another manner. The evil possesses the darkness. How does one combat that?"
"The light," Ilse the Effervescent gasped. "Of course… Dark Magic versus Light Magic." She frowned. "But people of the Light are so rare; it would be impossible to find one who possesses enough Light Magic to seal away or eradicate the Never Realm."
The Reimagian sorceress smiled surreptitiously. "You think so?"
"Regardless," Roland interjected, "whatever we do, I'm calling for all hands at this point. Anyone who can stand against the Never Realm, you're direly needed. I want to keep my family, friends, and subjects safe, and I can't do it alone."
"That's why we're here, King Roland," Madame Zenile enthused with her usual warm nature. "Your daughter and your royal sorcerer called on us, and we responded in kind. We will not let you fight this battle alone."
"Agreed," Orion added with a nod. "We shall stand united in our efforts."
Meanwhile, several others were in one of the common rooms, where the children had gathered together to play. For the first time, Nana, Sapphire, Brexley, Davina, Corban, and Zinnia were able to meet each other in person, and they seemed to be having a grand time either chasing each other or playing with toys.
"They're so adorable!" Amber giggled as she sat near Calista and Desmond. She playfully nudged her fiancé. "I can't wait to see our own little ones running around like that."
Desmond laughed nervously, blushing. "A-Amber, we still have to get married first…" His eyes widened in realization. "And that's coming really quickly, you know…"
She smiled sweetly, leaning against him. "I know…"
"It's nice to see them so carefree," Calista commented, smiling as Angel walked over and sat next to her. "Maybe this is what we needed… Just a break from reality for a bit."
"They have such innocence in such a dark time," Angel added calmly, grasping his friend's hand. "It is wonderful to watch."
Davina giggled as she spun around in circles before falling over, accidentally knocking Nana down. "Oopsie!" She turned and held her hands to her mouth, her dark eyes widening a bit. "I sorry!" She reached down and grasped the other little girl's hands. "I help you."
Sapphire and Brexley, who had been playing dolls together, paused as they saw a small magical glimmer appear when the other girls held hands. Corban and Zinnia oohed in interest, blinking.
"Did you see that?" Sofia whispered to Cedric, gently nudging him and pointing toward Davina and Nana, who were now sitting across from each other, hands separated, staring at each other in interest.
"See what?" he asked distractedly as he tried to wipe juice off of his robe sleeve. "I'm more accident-prone than your brother sometimes."
"I see a connection for certain," Sir Finlay chuckled as Gabriella leaned against him. "Perhaps the girls will become best friends."
"I think they already are," Gabriella laughed as she saw her daughter still carefully eyeing Nana.
"Yeah, but…" Sofia rolled her eyes and grabbed Cedric's wand, muttering a cleaning spell and ridding his precious robe of the offending juice. She smirked as he smiled thankfully. "I feel like there's more to it than that…" She frowned thoughtfully as she saw Davina take her charge's hand, an empathetic look crossing her features as Nana appeared distraught for some reason. "There's got to be something we're missing… What do they know that we don't?"
Sir Finlay sighed. "When it comes to children, a great deal… They see things we can't see—or refuse to see. It's what oftentimes makes them far more powerful than the rest of us."
Suddenly, the air of seriousness between the two little girls dissipated, and they were back to giggling and chasing each other again.
Cedric yawned and leaned his head against Sofia's shoulder, causing her to laugh. "They wear me out just watching them."
"Why are you leaning against me?" the princess challenged playfully. "Isn't that my thing?"
"We can trade places every now and then," the sorcerer retorted with a scoff.
"If that's the case…" She reached out and wrapped an arm around him, tracing her fingers through his hair and murmuring in her best imitation of his accent, "There, there, my dear Cedric. You'd best get some rest now."
"O-kay," Gabriella snickered as she sat up and grinned at the princess. "You've got that a little too perfect, Sofia."
She shrugged as Cedric rolled his eyes yet seemed to be enjoying the attention for a change. "Guess that's what happens when you spend as much time together as we do."
"Speaking of which!" Greylock's voice cut in as he plopped next to Cedric, a plate of cake in his hands.
Cedric sat up, frowning at the other sorcerer. "Hey, where did you get cake?"
"That's not important." Greylock munched happily on his confection before grinning at his friend. "What is important is that you suddenly have a child and never told me! Did you adopt her, or did she adopt you? Or, if she's yours naturally, I really don't understand the whole pink hair thing." He snickered as Cedric flushed in embarrassment.
"You don't know the whole story, Greylock, so don't hurt yourself jumping to conclusions." He gestured vaguely. "I'll tell you the full story when the children aren't around, but the abbreviated version is that Nana was unfortunately created by the Never Realm. Sofia and I found her after she escaped, and we became her…unofficially-official guardians, I suppose."
The brown-haired sorcerer pursed his lips as he considered Cedric's words. "I see." He grinned. "So, what's it feel like to be a father? …I never thought I'd ask you that question…"
Cedric rolled his eyes. "I'm her guardian, Greylock, not her father."
"You say tomato… Do you feed her? Clothe her? Sing her to sleep? Hug her when she's tired or lonely? Play with her? Teach her things?" Seeing Cedric nodding slowly, he smirked. "Welcome to the world of parenting, Papa Cedric."
"Oh, for Merlin's sake…"
Sofia giggled. "I think that's enough teasing, Mr. Greylock."
"Whatever you say, Princess Sofia." He pointed his fork at her. "And you're Nana's other guardian, you say?" Seeing her nod, he chuckled. "I see… Well, you're both doing a fantastic job. Maybe you're not her actual parents, but that's okay. Maybe she doesn't need traditional parents." He nodded to himself. "Yes. Perhaps guardians are better in this case…"
Cedric frowned at his strange rambling. "What exactly was in that cake?"
Greylock grinned excitedly. "Sugar."
The princess smiled and glanced toward Sir Finlay and Gabriella, who seemed rather amused at the scene before them. "Don't worry. Arguing and picking on each other is completely normal for those two."
"Mm-hmm." The older sorceress glanced back at the children. "Well, at least we were able to have a little bit of excitement rather than worrying about the Never Realm for a while. The kids needed it, and so did we."
"Yeah…" Sofia watched Davina and Nana once more, a sense of curiosity filling her. "I wonder…"
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Lady Maeve's Prophecy