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: Brace yourselves… Sad fluff ahead. ;_; You're also going to see a new level of understanding between Cedric and Sofia here. It's been there all along, really, but when you're up against the kind of danger they're up against… Things tend to change a bit. You'll see. Also, this is probably the last chapter I'll be able to upload this week. We'll see how the weekend goes though. :D That's why I put out TWO chapters tonight! Haha.

Chapter 9: Promise Me

Hours passed as the night waxed on. While the others were now asleep, Sofia found herself unable to achieve the same goal. Cedric had taken Nana with him a few hours ago, and they were now sleeping on one of the beds near the wall. The princess's mind, however, was racing, and she was beyond nervous. Even being surrounded by so many powerful people, and her own family and friends, she still understood how much was at stake. As she looked upon every face with the small light of her lamplight glowing in the darkness, she suddenly felt panicked. She could lose them. She could die… No one was safe from the Never Realm, and that had been made abundantly clear. After all, over two thousand souls were already lost…

What if she did die? How would that impact her family? She didn't want to leave them, but… And then a chilling thought came to her. Nana… She was one of her guardians, and the little girl had suffered so much already. If she died… If she and Cedric died… She couldn't even bear to think about it.

She'd never really feared death before, even though she'd come close to succumbing to it a few times in the past, but now… Now she knew what it was like. To be scared of never waking up again… To wonder what lay beyond this realm… To be afraid of the fear and the pain associated with death… It was too much.

She slid against the doors of the throne room, lowering her lamplight to the floor as she buried her face in her hands. This whole thing felt so final, and it was slowly eating away at her usual optimistic nature.

Cedric sat up from his sleep, feeling something was amiss. Upon glancing around, he noticed that Sofia wasn't anywhere nearby. "Sofia?" he whispered, sliding out of the bed where he had been resting with Nana. He pulled the blankets up over the sleeping child before withdrawing his wand, illuminating the end of it, and moving along amongst the sleeping visitors.

Eventually, he found Sofia curled up next to the throne room doors, her entire body shaking. Sheathing his wand in his robe, he slowly lowered down, next to his partner, wrapping one arm around her and sighing as she instantly leaned into him. He reached up and caressed her hair, threading his fingers through her loose waves. "Talk to me," he said to her quietly. "Vocalize every worry and fear you have. I'll listen."

"I know…" She sat up and stared at him, her blue eyes filled with apprehension. "I'm terrified. There have been so many deaths already, and I'm scared one of us is going to be next… What if it's us? You or me?" She looked away with a soft sob. "What will happen to Nana if something happens to us? Our poor little Strawbaby… I can't bear to think that…" She couldn't go on. Her mind wouldn't permit it.

Cedric listened patiently, allowing her to get every single fear and concern out that she possibly could. When it appeared that she'd finally finished, he simply turned and gathered her into his arms, fully embracing her and gently rocking her. "Shh…" He wouldn't tell her it was going to be all right. That was probably the last thing she wanted to hear at that point, and it wasn't always the most comforting thing one could be told, despite the good intentions. It was so generic, and far too often, they were just empty words…

So they sat like that—in the quiet darkness with only Sofia's lamplight to see each other by—for a few more minutes. That silent embrace seemed to do wonders for Sofia, who had calmed down a bit and was no longer shaking.

Finally, Sofia glanced up at her partner with a determined look in her eyes. "I want you to promise me something."

"Anything, Sofia…" He could see the fire in her gaze and knew that what she had to say was both important and urgent.

"Promise me you won't die."

His breath caught in his throat.

"Promise me that you'll survive and stay with Nana, even…" She closed her eyes. "Even if something happens to me…"

"Sofia, I have no intention of dying," he assured her, gently placing his hands on either side of her face, using his thumbs to wipe away the few tears that had fallen. "But you must promise me the same thing." He frowned as she grew quiet. "Sofia…" His hands lowered to hers, squeezing them lightly. "Promise me."

She sighed. "I promise…to use every fighting breath in my body to stay alive and come back to you guys." She looked up at her partner. "I don't want to leave you… We're… We're a team. We're Cedric and Sofia… We…belong together…"

Cedric lifted her hands and gently kissed them, causing her to gasp softly as he smiled at her. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, whispering, "I love you, Sofia…"

The princess felt tears stinging in her eyes as she attempted to smile, albeit sadly, at her partner. "I love you too, Mr. Cedric…" She kissed his cheek before wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. They held onto each other for another minute or so before she released him, giving him a pleading look. "Will you stay near me tonight? I…" She frowned, not liking how scared she still sounded. "I know the Never Realm is approaching, and it will be here soon, so…"

"Say no more." He stood up, pulling her with him, and guided her back to the bed where he was sleeping previously. He lifted the covers on one side of the bed, gingerly helping her under them. He caressed her cheek once before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Good night, Sofia."

She sighed, holding his hand to her cheek for a few more moments as she responded, "Good night, Mr. Cedric…" She released him and turned over, smiling as Nana snuggled closer to her for warmth. When Cedric climbed into bed on the other side and slid under the covers, she reached over and gently grasped his hand.

Cedric said nothing more, but he did squeeze her hand reassuringly as he smiled at her and closed his eyes.

And that's how they fell asleep: hands clasped, minds more at ease, and hearts full. They were together.

But for how much longer?

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Malum In Se