A Pirate's Life
Summary: Chrysta recruits Sofia and Cedric to go undercover as new members of a notorious magical pirate crew run by the wicked Captain Caegan. While aboard the ship The Barracuda, the friends must determine the captain's plans and figure out how to stop them; meanwhile, Cedric notices an interesting change in his partner while on their mission. (Sofia is 17. Artwork by MarionetteJ2X!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First. The cover photo was created by the amazing artist MarionetteJ2X! 😊 I do, however, own the OCs, including but not limited to Captain Caegan, Muscles, Marty, Wiggles, Garnette, and Duchess.
A/N: So, here comes the real angsty, argumentative stuff. ;D I mean, it was bound to happen at this rate. Lol. But here we go!
Chapter 7: Out of Context
Cedric woke up from his unexpected bout of sleep. He had no idea why he'd gone to sleep. In fact, he didn't even remember dozing off. The last thing he remembered… He frowned, trying to maneuver around in the small, unfamiliar area, but soon realizing that his wrists were shackled and one of his ankles was manacled to the little cot he'd been lying on, the long chain pooled in the center of the cell.
His head hurt a bit, so he had to wonder if he'd hit it somehow. Or maybe he'd been put under a dark spell that had caused him to become unconscious. Either way, it was unpleasant, and all he cared about now was figuring out how to free himself and get back to Sofia.
"Sofia," he spoke aloud, shaking his head. He remembered now. The captain had made her his first mate, and she didn't really seem all that surprised about it. Had she known? Surely not… Surely, she didn't actually want to be the corrupt man's right hand… She was probably just playing it off and sticking with the undercover ruse. Hopefully…
Speaking of which, why hadn't he stuck to the plan? That had been the theme of this trip: 'stick to the plan.' But no, he had to go off and challenge the captain, thereby getting himself separated from his partner and thrown into this crummy dungeon-like place. Who knew what had happened to her at this point?
With that dreadful thought in his mind, he frantically began searching for his wand. He managed to lift the cover of the dagger case and, to his disappointment and aggravation, he noticed that it was missing. "Great…" He gasped sharply and turned as he heard a door squeak open, followed by footsteps rapidly descending down the stairs. He breathed in relief as he saw his friend rushing toward the cell. "Sofia!"
"Mr. Cedric," she returned, smiling as he tried to approach her only to be halted by the end of the chain. The smile faded into a concerned frown. "Are you all right?"
"I've been better," he admitted, a sour tone to his voice as he emphatically shook his foot, causing the chain links to clink together. "I'm glad you are safe… It appears my wand has been stolen." His eyes narrowed as he observed her perplexed features. "Not to sound crass, but where were you? I woke up in this disgusting place with the worst headache."
"Sorry. Captain Caegan insisted that he have a word with me. I did get some inside information though, but I'm thinking there's probably more to his story than he's letting on. I'm going to see if I can get more out of him."
"And what about me?" the sorcerer asked, growing annoyed. "I'd rather not be chained up in here like some sort of caged animal."
"Um… Let me see if I can do something about that." She waved her wand and spoke every unlocking or freeing spell she knew, yet nothing happened.
"It must have a counteracting spell on it," Cedric realized, sighing heavily. "It's useless."
"No," Sofia urged him, shaking her head. "Look, the captain, for whatever reason, liked me enough to make me his first mate." She completely missed the look of irritation on Cedric's face as she added, "I could just charm him into giving me the actual spell, and then I could get you out of here."
"No," he declared, surprising her. "I don't want you having anything else to do with that man."
"But Mr. Cedric—"
Cedric stormed closer to the cell door, held fast by the rattling chains, a chillingly dangerous look (one she hadn't seen in years) on his face as he glared at his friend. However, this time, it was obviously for a much different reason. "Sofia, I said no. I won't have you putting yourself in any more danger than necessary, especially around a clearly wicked and unpredictable pirate captain."
Sofia scoffed at his words, clearly affronted. "I can take care of myself, you know."
"You are taking this out of context, Sofia. You're still young—"
"I'm seventeen, Mr. Cedric!" The tone in her voice was sharp and angry, and her blazing eyes matched her current mood as the sorcerer took a step back at her outburst, his bravado fading. "I can handle things on my own, though you and everyone else around me seem to believe just the opposite. All you guys see is that eight-year-old girl from the village who knew nothing about wickedness and danger. That's all you ever see!"
"Sofia…"
"Sorry, but I'm not that girl anymore. I've grown up. I've changed. I'm a lot stronger than you guys give me credit for, but you never seem to want to believe it." She folded her arms as he remained silent. "I don't need anyone's permission—even yours—to do what I think is right. If you want to stay in this cell, fine." She frowned heavily as he seemed to want to say something, but he remained silent. "It's not the first time you've gotten captured for doing something stupid."
Those words were like acid being poured onto him, and he flinched as the princess stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Cedric sighed heavily and collapsed onto his cot, his head in his hands and wondering what had gotten into Sofia. Changing over the years was one thing, but he would rather perish than see her good nature corrupted by that awful pirate captain. Still, with nothing else to do and all his efforts exhausted, he lay down on his cot and turned to the wall, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. All he could do now was wait…
Outside the door to the brig, Sofia rested against the entrance, a deep frown on her face as she came to terms with what she'd just said to someone who was supposed to be her closest friend. It was true… He did always treat her like she needed to be rescued. Yet he was the one locked up. "I'll prove myself one way or another," she murmured, pushing off the door and wandering away aimlessly. "I've got to…"
Meanwhile, Captain Caegan stood at the other end of the ship, a knowing smirk growing on his face as he watched the auburn-haired princess amble away. "One down, one to go."
To be continued…
Next Chapter: A Change in the Wind