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: Let's get some of those questions answered! :D We are getting close to the end, and we've got a few more things to cover. Here we go!
Chapter 9: A Royal Blunder
Sofia was nearly speechless when she heard her real name fall from the captain's mouth. She inhaled sharply before asking, "H-How do you know who I am?"
"The Amulet of Avalor dangles from your neck, lass," he informed her, smirking as the princess grasped the jewel in response. "I'd always wanted to add that beautiful and powerful gem to my own treasure trove, but alas, it was lost to the other realms. I admit that it took me a while to remember what the amulet was called, though I distinctly recall it being a brilliant purple shade, and it took me even longer to recall to whom it belonged…"
Cedric moved to stand in front of Sofia protectively, and he found (to his surprise) that she wasn't objecting for once.
"However, I've heard your name spoken throughout several realms, Princess Sofia," the captain laughed. "What, with all the villains ye have apparently conquered the last several years. Granted, I never knew what ye looked like until now. Somehow, I imagined a more petite and posher princess, and not the tattered ragamuffin I see before me."
"Ragamuffin?!" She pushed forward past Cedric, only to have him sigh and hold her back. "I'll show you 'ragamuffin,' you bearded bully!" She reached into her dagger case and withdrew her wand, aiming it at the older man. "Where is Mr. Cedric's wand?"
"Ah, 'Mr. Cedric' now, is it? Not 'Heartless Horatio' after all?" A look of realization passed over the captain's features. "Ohh, I see now. I recall hearin' the name 'Cedric' several times when the princess was mentioned. Something about a…royal sorcerer, was it? Her friend and partner?" He grinned. "What an odd combination."
Cedric frowned as Sofia continued struggling against him, probably trying to attack the older man, if she had it her way. She was growing a bit more impatient with people the older she got. 'Just like me,' he thought wryly.
"No matter," Captain Caegan continued as he withdrew a compass from his tunic, opening the clasp. "You are both now stowaways on my ship, and all stowaways must walk the plank." He smirked as the friends gasped. "But first… I'll be takin' all your magic, if you please." He turned briskly toward Cedric. "Startin' with you!"
Before he could react, Cedric felt every last ounce of magic literally become absorbed from his body. Even worse, he could feel the compass beginning to drain his physical energy too, which was causing him to sway.
"Mr. Cedric, no!" Sofia whirled on the captain. "Stop it!" She rushed forward, shoving the man and causing him to drop the compass.
"Why, you meddlesome wretch!" He growled as Sofia grabbed the compass and took off running with it. "Get back here!"
Sofia swung around a pole and ducked under the man as she headed back toward a weakened Cedric. She quickly activated her Enchantlet, panting as she saw her friend's face. "Chrysta!"
"Sofia, what's wrong?" Chrysta asked in concern. "What's going on?"
"Mr. Cedric and I are in trouble. Typhoon Realm! The Barracuda!" She gasped sharply as she felt one hand slam over her Enchantlet, cutting off the connection, and another press firmly against her back. She winced as she felt his boney, calloused hands and knuckles practically digging into her back. "Let me go!"
"I will. But I'll be takin' your magical powers first, missy." He chuckled darkly as he felt the girl's powers flowing from her body (and numerous magical items) into his hands. He felt rejuvenated with the rush of magical energy coursing through his veins. "That's it…"
Sofia whimpered in discomfort as she next felt her physical energy beginning to drain from her, just like Cedric. She looked down, noticing that the sorcerer was passed out on the floor. "M… Mr. Cedric…" Those were the last words that left her mouth as her eyes closed and she collapsed onto the ground next to him.
"Like takin' candy from a baby," Captain Caegan remarked gleefully as he ripped the wand from Sofia's hand and pocketed it. He turned and strolled out of the brig, nearly running into Muscles and Marty as they were walking by the door. "You two! I have a couple of prisoners who need to be returned to their cell. Mind helpin' me?"
"Uh, sure," Marty began before correcting himself to, "I—I mean, aye, captain!" He nudged Muscles, who blinked, startled out of his dazed state.
"Um, right! Whatever you need, captain!" He glanced at Marty, who shrugged, before following them both back into the brig. He blinked in surprise as he saw exactly who the 'prisoners' were. While Cedric had been captured earlier due to his little outburst, he was shocked to see Sofia there. "Horatio and Raelyn?"
The captain laughed boisterously. "I think you mean 'Princess Sofia and her royal sorcerer Cedric.'" He smirked at the two confused men. "They've hoodwinked you, men. Fooled, deceived, and tricked you into believing that they were some prime pirates. Ha!" He waved a careless hand toward the two Enchancians. "Deal with them now. Put them in the cell, and I'll make sure to seal it with Maedan Magic so that they can't escape."
"Y-Yes, sir," Marty stuttered, still a bit taken aback by this new information. So, the two friends they'd gotten to know weren't at all who they said they were? Who were they, then? Where were they from? Why were they here? Why had they been singled out by the captain? So many unanswered questions… "Let's… Let's go, Muscles."
After reluctantly securing the prisoners as asked, the two pirates returned topside as the captain sealed the door with his own magic. Once they were all back on the deck again, Captain Caegan called out for their attention.
"It appears we have two stowaways on this ship, lads!" he announced. "The ones you call Raelyn and Horatio are, in reality, spies sent to take me down!"
The majority of the pirates roared in anger and repulsion. Meanwhile, Marty and Muscles had let Garnette and Wiggles in on what was going on, and the quartet just stood there in disbelief.
"I thought there was something off about them," Garnette admitted quietly to her group, "but I never would have thought they were spies…"
"The captain said their names are Cedric and Princess Sofia." Marty placed his hands on his hips.
"A princess was with us the whole time?" Wiggles gasped. "Wearing that?!" He flinched as Garnette knocked him upside the head. "Ow!"
Captain Caegan sneered at his crew. "We don't take kindly to strangers trespassin' on our ship, do we, boys?!"
"NO!"
"At daybreak, the two phony pirates will be walkin' the plank!" He laughed wickedly as the rest of the crew cheered him on.
"Fake pirates or not, we're not gonna let them die, are we?" Marty asked, conflicted, as he looked toward Garnette for clarification. "I figured we were kind of starting to be friends, you know…"
The redhead sighed and shook her head. "I know, Marty." She frowned and looked toward the others. "To go against the captain would be mutiny…"
"Wouldn't be my first time," Muscles admitted, folding his arms.
"Mine either," Wiggles added, mimicking the much taller man.
Muscles raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, please. The only 'mutiny' you've ever committed is getting a dolphin tattoo on your ankle."
"Seriously?" Marty asked, laughing.
"And it's turquoise," the sandy-haired man remarked, smirking as Wiggles growled in frustration.
"Look, are we going to do this or not?" Garnette snapped, getting the guys' attention. "Because if we are, there's no going back. We'll be ship-less and crew-less. But…" She paused, recalling her private conversation with Sofia previously, and then she sighed heavily. "But it's the right thing to do."
"And we're pirates," Muscles chuckled. "I guess we forgot to sign away our moral compass when we took this job." He smirked as Garnette glanced at him. "Ready when you are, Red. You just tell us what to do."
She smiled slyly. "In that case, just follow my lead, boys."
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Powerful Words