Douse the Flame
Summary: When Sofia gets word that Greeneyes has been revived and is out for revenge against Sofia and her family, she calls for help to eradicate the evil entity for good.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Sofia the First, as they belong to Craig Gerber. I own Serena, Charlie, Angel (mentioned), Takoda (mentioned), Butterford, Muscles, and several others. MarionetteJ2X owns Nana and Tanya (both mentioned).
Chapter 3: An Unwanted Bond
"I miss the simpler days sometimes," Sofia told Cedric as she snuggled next to him, sighing. They had gotten to bed a bit earlier than usual, since the events from the day and previous evening had been so tiring.
"My love, when have our lives or days ever been 'simple?'" Cedric wondered with a small chuckle. "We've always had something going on, haven't we?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but… Don't you remember when Nana and Tanya were younger? Right after Tanya got a second chance…" She sighed, smiling lightly to herself. "It was nice for different periods of time, when we were able to be a family and have some downtime. Now, they're at school, getting a good education and traveling, and they're thankfully not having to handle evil every month like we used to."
The sorcerer hummed in agreement. "I know, Sofia. There were simple times with the girls, but we've had some rather good times with Serena and Charlie too. And all four of them have unique qualities about them that cause them to stand out in some way… Nana with her strawberry origins, Tanya with her Never Realm creator connections, Serena due to… Well…" He smiled apologetically as Sofia frowned. "And Charlie… Well, actually, Charlie seems to have the least outlandish experience of all of them, don't you think?"
"I guess so… He's a lot like how you told me you used to be: mostly quiet, very studious, and kind of shy. But he's such a sweet boy." She sighed as her husband began rubbing her back, trying to sooth her as she rested her head on his chest. "I'm worried, Cedric. I just…can't shake this feeling that Serena has a connection with Greeneyes. Think about it…" She closed her eyes as she felt his hand slip under her pajama top, caressing her skin along her back and hip. She gasped softly at the ticklish feeling as he chuckled. "I just… I want to keep her safe. I want everyone to be safe."
"I know, love. I'll talk with Cordelia, Angel, and Calista in the morning, and we'll get a protective barrier placed around the kingdom, just in case. And we'll put an extra one around our apartment and the castle."
Sofia nodded, feeling more at ease just hearing about safety procedures being put into place. "Okay… And maybe someday we can live our lives without fear of some evil being trying to destroy our family…"
Cedric nodded quietly as he continued caressing her back, the pleasant warmth from her skin a nice contrast to his cooler hand. "Don't worry, Sofia… Just like always, we'll protect those we love."
She moved to sit up a bit, unbuttoning her pajama top and slipping it down and off her form, and smiling shyly as he blushed a bit while watching her. Even after being together so long, she could still make him nervous. "Help me forget about the danger and evil for a while, Cedric… Please?"
He nodded wordlessly before smiling up at her as she caressed his face. "Of course, my darling…"
In the children's room, Charlie was fast asleep, but Serena lay wide awake. Every little noise made her nervous. The wind outside her window, the dripping of water from the other room, the shuffling of her own bedding… Every little sound had her on edge. To make matters worse, she could have sworn she heard whispering… Soft, low, and even enticing… It was mesmerizing in a strange way, but she was still petrified to move. Her blankets were clutched tightly around her chin as her blue eyes darted around, trying to sort out every single thing she saw or heard.
Serena gasped in alarm when a vortex appeared at the end of her bed, and from it stepped none other than Greeneyes herself. She didn't recognize her, of course, so she was no more afraid of her for her wicked and cruel nature than she would be of anyone who randomly appeared in her bedroom at night. "Wh-Who are you?"
"Shh, little one," Greeneyes cooed in a strangely warm and even caring tone as she sat on the edge of her bed, her normally cold and detached demeanor gone for once. She even managed to smile at the young girl. "I'm your celestial guardian, sent to protect you from harm."
Still wary, the young girl lowered her covers a bit, frowning. "M-My mama has a Guardian… He protects her when she goes on long journeys or…does magical things…" She didn't want to give too much information away, especially to a stranger. Still, she was attempting to make sense of this situation. It wasn't everyday a strange woman with a dark aura and scary green eyes appeared, claiming to be her celestial guardian, of all things.
"Yes, well… I essentially do the same thing. There are those who wish to harm you, young one. I will protect you if you come with me." She reached out her hand, a small spark of electricity crackling in her palm before dissipating. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt."
Serena could feel her blood running cold, and she had a horrible feeling washing over her. She suddenly had a strange flashback that didn't make sense… She was in a ball of light, curled up in the fetal position, with her mother screaming in pain and despair somewhere in the back of her mind. It was a shrill, heart-wrenching sound that she hoped she never had to hear from her mother again… She felt weightless and lost, like she was being absorbed from her entire being. It was then that she realized her hand had touched the woman's hand, and she suddenly pulled it back, glaring daggers at her. "Who are you? You come into my room in the middle of the night, and you claim to be my guardian. A real guardian would meet you in the light. You're no guardian, and I'm not going anywhere with you!"
Greeneyes chuckled as her demeanor grew colder, her eyes glowing that sickening emerald, which both captivated and horrified Serena, who was frozen to her spot. "What makes you think you have a choice?" With a simple wisp of a breath, both Greeneyes and Serena had vanished in the dead of night, not a soul awake to witness the exchange between the magical girl and the evil entity who had once sought her out as a sacrifice.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Scattered Puzzle