Sofia held back tears as she made her way down the steps of Cedric's tower, sniffling softly. There had to be some way she could make her friend feel better! If only she knew what had made Cedric so upset. It wasn't like him to act this way, and Sofia didn't like it. As she made her way through the halls of the palace, Sofia tried to think of things she could do. In the end the only plan she'd come up with was to leave Cedric alone and wait everything out, but Sofia couldn't do that! Something could happen to Cedric. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Sofia went into her room and plopped onto the bed.
"You alright, princess?" Sofia's rabbit friend, Clover said as he hopped down from the window sill, approaching the sad girl. "Mr. Cedric isn't acting like himself. He's so sad, and he keeps saying bad things about himself! I don't know what to do," Sofia said sorrowfully, not looking up to face her friend. Clover hummed in acknowledgement and got up onto the bed, thinking of how he could answer the princess.
"Why don't you ask your dad for help? King Roland might know what to do!" Clover suggested. Sofia contemplated Clover's idea with hesitance, keeping in mind that Cedric and the King weren't exactly on the best of terms. If her father agreed to help, would Cedric accept his assistance? Or would he ignore them both, kick them out of his lair, or worse? Sofia really didn't want to take the risk, but she didn't want Cedric to be sad anymore either.
"Okay... I'll go talk to him," Sofia sighed reluctantly, getting up and smoothing out her dress. "Can you come with me?" Sofia asked Clover, and the loyal bunny nodded in agreement. The princess and the rabbit left the room and made their way through the halls once more before dashing into the throne room. Baileywick and the King were trapped in a deep discussion and neither noticed as Sofia ran in with her friend.
"Dad! Dad, I need your help!" Sofia called, running in front of Baileywick and looking up at King Roland II with wide eyes. The King sighed and gave Sofia a small smile. "I'm a bit busy right now Sofia, but I'll be with you in a moment," he said. Sofia shook her head and put her hands on her hips, keeping a defiant look on her face. Baileywick smiled softly at the small girl's antics and backed out of the throne, leaving the King and his stepdaughter to talk alone.
"Bailey-! Ah... Well, looks like I'm free. What do you need, Sofia?" King Roland II asked, leaning forward in his throne to show Sofia he was listening. Sofia smiled a bit, but it quickly faded and she bowed her head.
"It's Mr. Cedric. He isn't acting like himself. He was really sad during our lesson today and he got upset for some reason when I got the spell we'd been working on right! He made me leave early. And... um... When I went in, he looked like he was crying and he was going to drink some funny looking potion..." Sofia's voice trailed off and she stared at her feet, unaware of just how horrible the events she revealed were. King Roland immediately leaped from his throne, grabbing Sofia by the hand as he marched his way towards Cedric's lab.
"This is bad, this is very, very bad," Roland was muttering in a panicked whisper to himself, making Sofia's heart stop in her chest. This was the first time she'd ever seen her stepfather look so afraid. "W-What's bad, dad?" Sofia asked hesitantly, not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer. King Roland's face drained of all color and he didn't answer her, gripping her hand tighter. They raced up the dark, winding stairs leading to Cedric's lab together. King Roland started to bang on the door as soon as they reached it.
"Cedric! Cedric, let us in!" the King demanded. No answer. "Mr. Cedric, please open up! We want to help!" Sofia cried, joining her father in knocking on the door. Inside, Cedric was turning over a shard of the broken glass from the vial in his hands, the sleeves of his robes pulled up to his elbows. He heard the calls of his King and his friend, but he ignored them. Wormwood watched his master worriedly from his perch, in a stance so that he could swoop down and snatch the glass at any moment.
"Do you think anyone besides you will miss me, Wormy?" Cedric asked, his voice coming out in a pained whisper. The now panicking Raven bobbed its head hurriedly, eyeing the shard with wary eyes. Cedric chuckled humorlessly. "No, of course they won't. Sofia has other friends. The King can get another sorcerer. My mother loves Cordelia as much as me, so she doesn't need another child. F-Father..." Cedric started to choke up and he bowed his head, hiding his face behind his free hand.
"He never really was a father to me, was he?" Cedric whimpered, his shoulders shaking gently with suppressed sobs. The hand holding the glass shook and a few small cuts appeared on the palm's surface. Wormwood squawked loudly and flapped his wings, flying over to land on Cedric's shoulder. He grabbed at the glass with his beak and tried to pull it out of Cedric's hand, but the young sorcerer was quicker. He knocked Wormwood off his shoulder and jumped to his feet, his eyes narrowed and his stance hunched.
"Stupid bird," Cedric spat, his voice filled with venom. Wormwood covered himself with his wing, terrified of his master's anger. But Cedric wasn't looking at his bird anymore and had turned to the portrait of his parents. His eyes were sad and he wore a bitter smile as he raised the piece of glass once again.
"Don't worry, father. I'll soon be gone, and you won't have to deal with a disappointment like me anymore," Cedric said, his voice dripping with fake cheerfulness as he slashed at his wrist with the glass. He gasped with pain and clenched his jaw, squeezing his eyes shut. He made a long, deep, vertical cut down his wrist and shuddered as he felt his arm become sticky with blood. Tears welled up in Cedric's eyes as he collapsed to his knees.
Cedric regretted this method of killing himself over the poison he had had earlier, but Sofia had made him break the vial, and this was the easiest way he could think of. He faintly heard screams, male and female, before his consciousness left him.