Chapter 19: Salvation

The caves walls were shaking, but Dononvan was solely focused on his prey. There was another loud explosion. This one was closer; Sofia wanted to scream with all her might, but the blade against her throat had started to cut ever so slightly into her as the uncontrollable trembling returned.

There was the sound of rushing footsteps.

It distracted Donovan enough to let up the pressure of the blade, affording Sofia this one opportunity. She emitted a blood-curdling scream. It drew the ruffian's ire but before he could exact violent retribution the air crackled with energy, and Donovan's body was flung backward into the cell wall. Sofia lay there convulsing in fear when the ropes that bound her hands suddenly vanished and she felt arms grasping her tight. A man was holding her and shaking, almost as much as she was.

It was Cedric.

His robe was torn and one arm slightly injured but Sofia was too scared to note it. He grabbed her up into the tightest of embraces, completely ignoring the shaking walls around them or the man who was most assuredly not dead. Donovan had begun to groan and was stumbling forward in the torchlight toward them, the sword that had been flung to the side of the cavern within his reach. Sofia cried out unintelligibly and gestured wildly in the attacker's direction but Cedric was fully consumed with holding her, his worried attentions on the blood covering her neck, and completely oblivious to the imminent danger.

Donovan bent down to grab hold of the sword and swung it as if to impale Cedric. The sorcerer simply didn't realize what was happening and Sofia tried to shift and act as a human shield.

There was an explosion of purple light. Once it ebbed Donovan was standing there listing back and forth, the sword in his hand fallen to his side. The Amulet in his hand was returning to its normal luminosity, having incapacitated the advancing abductor. Donovan had been cursed.

A high pitched cackling coincided with a brilliant flash of ominous white light, and in the next moment he'd been electrocuted before their eyes. This was no passing bolt, Edith stood at the cave's entrance and made sure this was the end of Donovan. His charred remains dropped into the mud below and the Amulet of Avalor fell from his hand, rolling across the cave floor. Edith casually blew on the end of her smoldering wand.

"Well that was fun. I don't really care if you stay here and get pulverized Ceddykins but I'm pretty sure the king wants his daughter back, and definitely doesn't want her crushed in a cave because you were feeling grabby. Say, what is that thing?"

Sofia was still shaking with her arms around Cedric's neck as Edith walked over and picked up the item, wrapping its chain in her fingers.

"Is this? No it can't be."

The cave walls shook again, knocking Edith's leg into Cedric's head and jostling the group about. Cedric pulled Sofia to her feet. The constant state of terror had sapped all energy from the girl, and she toppled over. He was barely able to keep her upright as they fled the cave. The sheer violence of what had happened was overwhelming and her legs faltered half way out of the caves. Cedric picked her up and struggled to carry her toward the exit when suddenly she felt lighter than air. Edith was stuck behind them in the narrow passage and not wanting to be delayed and therefore crushed had cast a flotation spell on the frightened princess. "Boy, you're lucky you bumbled into her Ceddykins. I almost had you."

Cedric wrapped an arm around the convulsing princess to guide the floating girl out. Sofia buried her head into his neck, trying to block out the yelling, rumbling, and sobbing all around them. In the distance Amalthea was yelling orders, and even Cecelia was heard screaming in the background. Their salvation had come from the hands of those who'd helped enslave the people of Friezenburg.

Who were the heroes, and who were the monsters after all?

No force of nature could pry Sofia from the sorcerer's neck. They were finally outside and after almost an entire day spent in pitch-blackness the light was too intense for Sofia to take, painful and forcing her eyes shut. She felt someone come up behind them and touch her back. "Oh Sofia, thank goodness you're safe!" It was Rolland's voice. Sofia tried to respond but only gasps came out and her eyes still refused to open. "Cedric! What were you thinking running in there like that!? People could die because of your foolishness! Sofia could have been killed!"

"Don't worry your Majesty, I was there to kill the brigand attacking your daughter." Came from Edith's sour lips.

Sofia needed to correct this account but couldn't seem to speak, or cry. All she could do was shake. Attempting it made her stomach tighten and arms retract while only air came out. No words could escape her.

"Thank you so much Edith for salvaging his foolishness. Are there more?"

"Yes your Majesty. I'm going back in to find your son."

"Good woman. You're the very finest Edith. Oh, and is that Sofia's amulet?"

The princess heard an almost imperceptible grumbling, but then felt hands about her shoulder. "It's alright Sofia, you can let go of that now. Daddy's got you." For his part Cedric held on, but his arms had continued shaking. "Cedric please let go of Sofia."

She could feel the sorcerer shutter and heard the tiniest of whimpers, and slowly his arms started to retract.

Sofia screamed and grabbed Cedric's neck ever tighter. The sorcerer let out a cough and almost toppled over from lack of oxygen. The king's commanding voice boom forth, "Alright fine. Cedric, you're of no use here. Take her home, and try to give this to her when she's stopped shaking."

She was grabbing Cedric's neck tightly, and he was unable to respond verbally. Sofia could feel his face moving as his chin bobbed up and down against the top of her head. He was acquiescing to the king's orders.

Pivoting the sorcerer continued hobbling toward something, and finally bent strangely as if to release her. She felt his arm pull away and clutched at him desperately. Gravity again gripped her, and she was set down inside the covered sleigh. He'd drawn his wand to reverse the spell Edith had cast. Crying out incoherently for him not to go seemed her only recourse. Her eyes were still closed from the blinding light, but she could feel his head return to its former position and she clung to him for dear life, burying her own face in his chest. There was still fighting going on, she heard another loud explosion come from the direction of the cave, there was coughing accompanied by some crying. Sofia felt Cedric shift and heard a door click. Instantly all the sounds became muted.

It was over.

There was some jostling and they were flying away from this wretched place. She was still wrapped around him, with her face buried in his neck, gasping and shaking. He pulled her away enough to inspect the blood on her neck, cleaning it vigorously and casting healing spells for the small abrasions all over her. He inspected her ankles and reached up to lift her skirt but then froze and dropped the fabric. He started hyperventilating. Frantic glances downward were more than enough to communicate what he was worried about. She shook her head to assuage his fear and suddenly he pulled her in tight, squeezing her with all the might his thin arms could muster. He was obviously relieved. They sat like that for quite some time while he tried stroking her back and head vigorously to calm her tremors. He'd started whimpering amidst the back rub and he was finally able to speak.

"I need you, I NEED you." He kept repeating himself while rubbing his face into her rather forcefully, like a cat against their owner's leg. "Merlin's mushrooms, there's nothing for it anymore. I simply can't deny it. I NEED you more than anything, and I almost lost you by projecting my hurt. My Sofia." He was trying to bury his face into her hair. Sofia had unknowingly wound her hands under his vest, as if she was trying to crawl into him, toward safety. He tugged on his belt, undoing the knot and wrapped her up in the folds of his robe. Still the words wouldn't come, no matter how hard she tried, so instead she simply nodded. His forgiveness and valuation of their friendship had saved her. He reached into his pocket and drew some crumpled papers, "Here, read them. Read it all, I don't care anymore. They're not worth your beautiful, precious life. Sofia… I'm so… I can't even fathom what could have just… I NEED you Sofia. I need you. I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"

She shook her head and refused to take them. Those papers, a reflection of past rejection and present hurt. Saving her had resulted in a thorough tongue-lashing from Rolland; it must have cut him deeply inside to hear unkind words from a person he cared so much about.

Again Cedric shoved them toward her hand, finally succeeding. She snapped her arm back into the folds of his clothes. The papers in her hand containing his sexual orientation seemed so inconsequential compared to the comfort of his friendship at that moment.

A long while passed before further attempts at speech were made. Even though the terrifying cave was but a memory her shaking refused to ebb. She was however able to get a handle on her breathing, and slowly the words came.

"I don't deserve it, but please forgive me."

"Whaaa?" He seemed truly confused, complete with furrowed brow, but he needed to know that their friendship was the most important thing to her as well. That she could never bear to let him slip back into loneliness in his tower again.

"The letters don't matter to me Mr. Cedric. I know you need me, so please, please forgive me."

"Oh Sofia!" He'd kissed the top of her head again, "Please don't say that princess. You don't need my forgiveness, I'm the one... the one who… Oh Merlin's mushrooms, it's entirely my fault this happened. I NEED you Sofia, please never forget it."

"I know you need me. You taught me that spell. I already knew it was you and I… I need you too Mr. Cedric. I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings. Everything is my fault. Everything."

"Neptune's Nettles." Cedric almost seemed in tears. His gloved hands had come up and were stroking Sofia's cheeks. She hadn't realized how cold her skin was until contrasting it with the warmth of his fingertips, she'd gone numb hours ago. There was something wrapped in his fingers, but she couldn't see it without pulling her face out of his shoulder. "Can you ever forgive me Sofia, I tried so very hard but the king, he was just standing there, reminding me of all my failures and I just couldn't…Oh Sofia it was all I wanted to find you. Please believe me."

What was he saying? "Of course I believe you. You're amazing Mr. Cedric, and you saved my life by finding us."

"If only I was the man you envision me as, then I really could defeat the demons inside and be everything you need of me." He paused for an extremely long time, and lifted a hand away from her. "Perhaps there is a way."

"What?" Sofia finally extracted her head from his neck, his robe sloped off her shoulder and down her back a bit when she did it. There dangling within the sorcerer's hand was the Amulet of Avalor, its chain wrapped up in his fingers.

She froze. He stroked the jewel between his thumb and forefinger. "The most powerful of magical stones, and Rolland just happened to stumble upon it through the luck of good breeding. I suppose the universe needs balance, and I know quite a few born with nothing so it only makes sense every once in a great while a man like him is born with everything. But just think Sofia, I now know even more about how to harness its energy, after all I've practically memorized that book you gave me." He suddenly clasped it tight in his palm. "Just imagine it Sofia, I could end this chaos, I could defeat them all if I but used its power. Then it would just be you and I and our magic. Nothing else would matter and no one would ever dare to try and harm you again. I could solve it all Sofia, with you by my side."

Sofia looked between the jewel and his eyes, now fixated on the shiny stone and watched as he became ever more entranced by the shiny object. Spending her days with him casting spells like they used to did sound like the perfect escapism from this horrifying reality where at least one of her dear friends had been killed, perhaps more.

Was this the answer she couldn't give Donovan in the caves? Could Cedric, her best friend, utilize the power of the Amulet? Could he force Aaron to abdicate and Victor to free the slaves? It was a remarkably powerful jewel, but she knew this to be a double-edged outcome. The amulet had willfully cursed her growing up when she stepped out of line and now Donovan had paid for his sins with his life, all while the menacing glow of the amulet loomed.

What would happen to Cedric if he used the Amulet to defeat Victor and Aaron? Would he stop there, or would he keep going and dethrone Rolland? The bitterness of Cedric's past rejection rang out in his voice as he'd spoken Rolland's name. Rolland would be within his path of destruction as well, but why stop there?

Where did Cedric's ambitions truly end?