"What do you, um, mean free?" I whispered. Cedric looked up. His whole face had changed, with bits still changing. His hair grew black and his eyes changed from expressing hatred and stress to sternness and kindness. His eyes color changed too. His body grew more lean and skinny. By the time he was done, he looked nothing like the Cedric I knew. If I hadn't watched him changed, I wouldn't have believed it was really him. Cedric leaned against the wet cell wall, panting. "Who are you?" was his reply. His voice now sounded gruff, but friendly, well kind of.

"I'm Princess Sofia. Don't you remember me?" Cedric wiped some of the fresh blood from his neck and sweat off onto his hand. He shook it off. "Am I suppose to?" I thought about this. "Well, yes actually. You tried to kill me earlier." Cedric's eyes widened in surprise. "I did?" I nodded. There was a moment of silence as I thought quickly the escape roots I could take. Unforantly, the cell door had shut when I walked in, locking it. "Look, I'm sorry," Cedric said finally. "It's a long story." Cedric paused. "I'm going to die tonight, aren't I?" I looked down. "Um no. Actually in a month's time. But what's the story? I'd love to hear it," I said, sitting down a few feet away, the dagger in the folds of my dress, awaiting the time to bolt.

"It was that dumb bird. I found it, I don't know how long ago, but anyway, it bit me." "Wormy?" Cedric looked at me, confused. "Wormy?"

"Yea. Your pet bird?" "I don't have a pet bird. And if I did, I certainly wouldn't call it, Wormy." "Well, actually his name's Wormwood, Cedric." "Cedric?" I looked at him closely. No scars, no bruises. "But he did just underwent a complete transformation," I thought. "That's your name Cedric. Right?" Cedric turned and spit on the already wet cell floor.

"Jackass bird. I hate the name Cedric."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then what's your name?"

"Halt."

Cedric's eyes suddenly widened, yet again. "That's it! I can't believe I didn't recognize him."

"Recognize who?"

" Morgarath the Third. He wanted me to kill you to have you out of the way, than for me to be hanged. With me and you gone, he can defeat the whole kingdom."

I thought this over for a minute. "That would explain why you're such an awful wizard."

We both sat in silence.

"You should go. Your Father and Mother problay miss you," Cedric, sorry I mean Halt, said finally.

"But we have to tell-"

"No. I disobeyed my King and Will. I shall accept my fate. But you must, when the time is right, stop Morgorath." "But-"

"It shall be alright. Now go." I nodded and left.