Chapter 20: Pain
The glint in his eyes while he gazed at the jewel said it all. The kind and doting mentor he'd become would fall away, and in its place would be left a hollow shell of a tyrant.
She couldn't sacrifice his soul to it.
In essence he stood upon a precipice of fate. Sofia had always tried to tip the scales for him towards good, and now would be no exception. "You mean more to me than the Amulet Mr. Cedric, and that's why you shouldn't use it." He snapped back to reality and shook slightly. Straight into her eyes he peered with a very guilty expression. "It'll curse you, it might even kill you like it helped kill him… so please don't. I can't loose you." She plunged her head back into his neck, trying to cleanse the memory of Donovan's piercing gaze from her mind.
She felt Cedric graze against the side of her head, and his arms let go of her. "Please, you're a hero to me Mr. Cedric, but if you use the Amulet it will steal you away and you'll end up the villain. Please don't do it."
Just when she thought she'd lost him to his lust for power there were soft lips pressed to her cheek. He'd kissed her just below her eyelashes, and as he did it his hands wrapped around her neck, restoring the amulet of Avalor to its typical perch. She was overwhelmed by a compulsion to kiss his cheek in return. They settled into hugging each other again, and the shaking finally subsided.
"Being your own personal hero sounds nice, though you have to admit I would have made an excellent dictator."
"Mr. Cedric."
"No really Sofia. Can't you just imagine it? I'd have made everyone wear purple, assuredly. And I'd switch Enchancia's main crop to birdseed. Then Wormy could fly from here to Caldoun to pick up my ingredient orders without me having to tie snacks to his leg, you know how he hates my packed lunches." He was trying to lighten the mood, but she was still struggling inside, for now the realization that her brother was still in that quagmire suddenly overwhelmed to her. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Too soon?"
"Yeah." He gave a little nod against her head. "And Mr. Cedric.."
"Yes?"
"Kings have servants to run errands for them."
"Oh yes, right you are princess. But, no use crying over returned amulets, right? You're safe, and we can leave the other details for later. You're all that matters."
"No I'm not." She pulled away to stare out the window. The castle had come into view. "James, Desmond, Hildegard, and even Hugo. They're still back there. They're not safe. No one is anymore."
"Don't worry dear, you'll be safe here in the castle with me."
"The castle might not be safe either Mr. Cedric, the cloaked man could still be there. Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone right now."
"I won't, but Sofia I… well there is something I should probably tell you."
The coach touched down, jostling the occupants and disrupting Cedric's confession. Amber came bolting out of the castle, followed by Ruby and Jade. Cedric helped her out of the coach, but upon seeing the girls flinched and pushed Sofia farther away. The distance opened up between them felt a chasm, and Sofia snapped back to his waist. The sorcerer just let his hands drop to his sides and nervously shirked away.
'SOFIA!" The golden girl bounded into Sofia and tugged to try and free her sister from Cedric's midsection. The girl refused to budge, but Amber managed to extract Sofia's face from his shoulder rather forcefully.
"Oh Sofia I'm so glad you're okay! You saved me! I hid in the cave just like you said until they flew off and then I ran along the shore and found a village to get help. It was horrible Sofia, horrible. I'm so glad you're okay."
Jade chimed in, "We were SO worried for you! Especially when Cedric couldn't conjure that locator spell right and it kept lobbing into the graveyard." What? Cedric cringed, and turned his head away in shame, almost like he wanted to disappear in a poof of smoke but couldn't because she was grabbing onto his waist.
He hadn't been the one to conjure the spell that led to the rescue.
A great disappointment gripped Sofia, like an anvil on her chest. The princess tried to shake the unsettling feeling, after all Cedric had still come and saved her before Donovan could enact his desires, so why did she feel suddenly sad? He was still her friend and he needed her, he'd said as much in the coach. She stuffed the letters into her pocket and reached out, putting small fingers on the side of his head, ignoring the other girls. "It's okay Mr. Cedric, I understand." He turned back to face her, small tears in the corner of his eyes. He'd been trying to tell her that on the journey home, and was obviously devastated it hadn't worked. He'd said Rolland was there, reminding him of the past.
He must still be infatuated with Rolland, and was driven to distraction by the man impatiently lording over him. The sorcerer obviously felt awful about it too. "I understand Rolland affected you Mr. Cedric, its okay. You saved me anyway by stopping Donovan." Amber's mouth dropped open and eyebrows went up. She'd just made the cosmic connection too.
Ruby broke the awkward tension by anxiously peering into the coach. "Where's James?" Sofia turned to look at Ruby, who'd started frantically looking back and forth between Cedric and the coach. "Where's JAMES! Where IS he?! He came back with you all right, RIGHT?"
"Yes where is he Sofia, and what happened to my Desmond? And Hilde?"
Sofia looked up to Cedric and the sorcerer addressed the anxious girls. "I... I simply don't know. Amalthea was dragging two boys covered in soot out of the caves as we were leaving, but I couldn't tell which of the missing princes they were, and there was certainly no sign of her highness, the pampered princess of Friezenburg."
Amber turned to Ruby, "Don't worry, Daddy will make sure everyone is saved. I'm sure of it. Now tell me everything that happened Sofia. Sofia tell me. Tell me!" Amber was tugging at her arm, and Ruby was bouncing nervously. Jade had encroached as well. All of them shouting in her face was too much for her, and the girl pressed backward into Cedric's chest.
"Princess Amber, it's nothing short of delightful that you feel compelled to badger your sister, but we really must be getting this beleaguered girl to bed now."
"But Cedric I need to know what happened, tell me everything Sofia! Every little detail."
The image of the bloody sword flashing before her eyes and the princess screamed, burying her head back into Cedric's shoulder.
Everyone was not okay, but who had paid the price?
And was there only one victim?
It startled everyone but Sofia's grip prevented the sorcerer from stumbling away. Cedric bent down and caught Sofia's unfocused eyes in his. The shaking had returned, and the sorcerer was none too pleased about it. "Now see here Princess Amber, I don't care if Rolland himself wants to interrogate her right now, Sofia's been through the looking glass and back, so there's to be no more questions until she's had a decent rest and something warm to eat. Pester her further and you can fly to Friezenburg yourself with the bat wings I'll 'bless' you with."
"Cedric!" Without another word he'd grabbed Sofia's waist and started heading up the staircase, unfazed by Amber's worry. They were half way to her room before she realized her mother wasn't in attendance. "Wait! Mr. Cedric I have to see Mom. I have to let her know I'm okay."
"Let's talk about this in private Sofia." He'd pushed her almost to her door and suddenly the terror from two days prior came rushing back. She still had no idea WHO had torn apart her room, and her wand was still missing. She started flailing and trying to escape, then dug her heels into the ground. Her reasoning had given way to the trauma she'd experienced at Donovan's hands, and in her mind the bandits piercing eyes and the cloaked menace were one and the same. Now her room seemed as frightening as the cave had been.
"Sofia please you have to sleep. You're worn thin and—"
"NO! Cedric no I can't go in there, no please." Cedric glanced about but there was no one else in the hall. He pulled her close and kissed her cheek again, "Dearest please let me get you inside. I promise I'll stay but we can't be out here like this, anyone could come wandering by."
The princess stood on her tiptoes, "No. No. Please Mr. Cedric, take me to your tower, I'll sleep in your bedroom, anywhere in the castle but here. It's not safe, not safe." She was still shaking.
Cedric groaned, "Not now, Rolland will come back and look for you. Tonight you can stay in my tower. You can stay every night Sofia, but not now. Please you have to understand he's going to come looking for you this time. He'll want to know what happened too. It's just for a nap dearest, and I promise I won't leave your side."
"Please Mr. Cedric. I can't go in there." She could understand that it must be hard for him to have Rolland judging him harshly right now and was probably unhappy she was clinging to him so publicly, but she couldn't seem to let the sorcerer go. Cedric groaned once more, and tried pushing her the last few steps into the room. She squealed and tried to fight against it.
"No! NO! I just want to be safe, PLEASE!"
"Stop it Sofia, I'm telling you there is absolutely nothing to fear in your room but everything for me to fear if we stay in the hall like this. You're going to draw Baileywick, and that man has a talent for nosiness. If he finds us out then I won't be able to stay with you today, or alive for that matter."
His words seemed a blur to the girl, and she shook and tried to run while Cedric grabbed her arm to keep her from fleeing once more. "No, no please, PLEASE!"
"Oh my stars, what's happening here! Cedric what are you DOING to her!" True to form the steward had appeared and was horrified to see Cedric practically shoving Sofia toward her room. The sorcerer groaned, and Sofia was racked with instant guilt. Baileywick was sure to get the wrong idea about something that looked rather violent.
"Why how wonderful to see you Baileywick. I must admit your talent for inconveniently inserting yourself into a conversation is quite astounding."
"This isn't a conversation Cedric, you're hurting her!"
"No!" Sofia shouted. The men stopped trading barbs, "No he's not. He's helping me, but I just… I just…"
Baileywick bent down to her eye level, clearly concerned. "Are you hurt Sofia? What is it? I can do anything you need, just tell me."
"I… " A quick glance back at Cedric and the sorcerer had gone stiff as a gravestone. "I'm afraid of my room and I need to see Mom. To tell her I'm okay. She's got to be worried sick about me, and about James too. Mr. Cedric knows that I haven't slept and wants to help, but I need to see Mom."
The steward relaxed a bit and put a conciliatory hand on her shoulder. "Sofia your mother hasn't been informed of the situation, and your room is perfectly safe. I suppose Cedric is right that you should sleep, but he knows better than to shove a princess."
An accusatory glance from the steward elicited an angry huff from the sorcerer. Cedric had released Sofia and crossed his arms, waggling his family wand about. This was definitely NOT the private conversation he'd been alluding to.
Sofia couldn't believe Baileywick's words, and her mouth dropped open, "But HOW could Mom NOT know! We could have… James could be… oh why, why…" Sofia started gasping again as she stood before the steward.
"Sofia don't worry. Your father won't rest until James is found, safe and sound. With regards to your mother, the king felt it would jeopardize her health to know what was happening, as well as the baby."
"But…" Sofia looked back at Cedric who'd been rolling his eyes at her with clear agitation that she'd summoned Baileywick by resisting reason, "But that's not right. Mom should know, I mean it's not right to keep something like this from her."
"Oh and just what would your mother be able to do about it now?" Cedric was clearly getting annoyed, "Do you suppose the king would want his pregnant wife running off to Leidleville in a tizzy? I'm sure that would be just excellent for their baby."
Cedric seemed almost angry, and Sofia suddenly felt overwhelmed with realization. Miranda's pregnancy was probably added insult to injury of Cedric's feelings. Maybe that's why he'd been so snarky when her and her mother showed up at the castle all those years ago. He'd been jealous. And now Rolland was having a child with her. Her shoulders slumped and bottom lip began to quiver. They couldn't fight. Not again. Not now. The sorcerer's perturbed demeanor vanished when he saw her mood shift, and conciliatory hand gestures starting waving around. He looked like he wanted to hug her, but something held him back. She took the initiative and lunged forward to wrap Cedric in another embrace but the sorcerer winced and dodged it, giving several frightened looks back at Baileywick.
"Come Sofia, let's get you to your room so you can lie down, I'm sure you're exhausted after something awful like that." Baileywick was ushering her toward her room as well.
"That's what I was trying to accomplish!" Chimed in the sorcerer.
"But NO! I can't go in there, the cloaked man!"
"Sofia your father has taken care of it."
She froze. "He did? How? Did you catch the cloaked man? Why didn't you tell me they caught the cloaked man Mr. Cedric?"
She was staring at the sorcerer, who was as perplexed as she was, "They… did? That's not possible."
"What's that Cedric?"
"Oh… Er… nothing. Nothing at all."
"Okay." The steward turned back from a very nervous sorcerer to address the frightened princess. "No Sofia we haven't found him yet, but your father has hired dozens of new guards to patrol the castle. There's no way anyone will be able to sneak in and do you harm."
Before she could argue Baileywick had ushered her into her room, Cedric snaking behind. "Please lie down Sofia, I'll have one of the maids bring you lunch immediately."
Baileywick left Sofia near her bed, then turned and started ushering Cedric out of the room. He started bouncing strangely, "I… er… well that is… um…"
"Please Cedric we need to leave so she can rest. That is why you were ushering her here, isn't it?"
The sorcerer nodded an affirmative, but with exceptional speed, so much so that his bangs bobbed up and down as he did it. Suddenly she realized Baileywick was engineering her alone time to sleep.
Alone.
In her room.
By herself.
Completely and utterly alone.
"No! No don't go Mr. Cedric!" The sorcerer cringed, his eyes darting around the room.
Baileywick turned back, "He needs to if you're going to get any sleep. Come Cedric."
"B-b-but I think the princess is still feeling i-i-insecure, right Sofia?" The girl nodded vigorously and Baileywick nodded with concern. "Alright I'll have guards posted at the door and below your window. No one will harm you princess."
The thought of strange men hovering in close proximity was too much for her to take, as if Donovan himself wasn't really a pile of ash in Friezenburg, but instead lurked just behind her closet.
"WAIT Baileywick! No new guards. I don't want men I don't know lurking outside my door. Please no strangers. No more. I just want Mr. Cedric to stay."
"Sofia I don't think—"
Cedric's eyes grew like saucers, and he pulled the steward in for a private conversation. Words were exchanged. A massive look of concern broke out across the steward's face as Cedric whispered to him, and the steward gasped on occasion. Finally Baileywick turned back to the harrowed princess. "I understand. I'm so incredibly happy you're safe after all that Sofia. Please just rest and I'll have food sent here."
The steward was barely out the door before Cedric slammed it shut and sealed it magically. "Oooh! You see? That right there is why a princess shouldn't grope at a sorcerer in public. He almost had my neck in a noose for that display in the hallway Sofia. Oooh Merlin's mushrooms." The sorcerer turned and saw the princess shaking, and instantly the irritation melted away again. He flew to her side, "What can I do? Tell me how to help you dearest."
This room. And that man. They were haunting her vivid imagination in new and horrible ways. "I just want to be safe. Please make me safe."
"I'm not sure how to accomplish that, as the fear is in your mind. Oh! I'll enchant the windows and door with the strongest barrier spells I know. Even a sorcerer won't be able to break in!" He lifted his wand up and leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Do you think it'll help?"
She gave the tiniest of insecure smiles, and the sorcerer set about casting several powerful spells. The walls and windows started to glow shades of silver from the magic. As he worked Sofia looked down at her hands. They were still dirty, as the rest of her probably was. The washbasin was full of water and she began wiping herself clean. A quick glance at the hand mirror alongside it was supposed to reassure her that her face had been adequately cleansed, but the blur of her shining blue eyes and brown hair in its reflection evoked Donovan hovering in front of her face, breathing on her eyelashes.
'Sofia! SOFIA what happened?!" Cedric was standing over her. She'd knocked the washbasin as well as the small table over and fell several steps backward before collapsing into a hyperventilating mass. Extremely worried, Cedric had begun to stroke her arms and face. It helped to calm her down.
"His eyes were blue." The sorcerer grit his teeth while Sofia doubled over, "My eyes are blue, but for a second I thought…"
He'd pressed her head into his robes again and the sorcerer grew fuming angry. "Oooh I'd have incinerated the man myself, if only I'd have thought of it."
There was death in his eyes. He was listing toward the darkness once more. "NO!" Sofia pulled away to look directly at him. "No Mr. Cedric. I'm so glad you didn't do it."
"B-b-but that man, he hurt you, he even tried to defile you. He deserved it! if only I was stronger, I'd have roasted the menace and served him up as the enchanted feasts' main course!"
She couldn't process how much hate was swirling around, and reached up to cover her eyes, all while shaking her head.
Several deep breaths later, and Cedric had relaxed a bit. He was kneeling beside her trying to diffuse the situation. "I suppose it's in your nature not to hate Sofia. You seem to love and forgive everything, even someone so vile they'd try to accost you."
"It's not that." There was a long pause while the princess tried to come to grips with Cedric's desire to kill someone. "I just can't imagine what that would do to you Mr. Cedric."
He looked confused again, "You're such an amazing person, and I'd never want you to have to live with something so horrible as having killed someone. Not for me. Not ever."
She expected him to relax, or at least relinquish the look of hate he'd been wearing at the thought of Donovan, but instead he sat back, and looked almost in tears once more. Realizing she was staring at him he turned away, closing his eyes. "B-b-but I… Sofia can I ask you something?"
"Of course, ask me anything Mr. Cedric."
"D-d-does killing someone make one a bad person?"
"Well yeah, that's the very worst thing a person can do, and I'm so glad you didn't do it Mr. Cedric. I'd never want that for you, no matter how evil they were. I try not to hate people, but someone who'd kill another person, I can hate people like that."
Why was he so upset? "Can someone be forgiven for doing it Sofia?" He'd turned back to face her, desperation streaked across his face. "For k-k-killing?" Suddenly he was on his knees again, he'd grabbed her hands into his own, as if he was pleading with her, "Can they ever Sofia, if it was unintentional, if it was misdirected, can they ever be forgiven? Would you call them a 'murderer' too? Would you despise them?"
"I uh, I don't know. I mean, there isn't a spell to reverse death, is there Mr. Cedric?" The devastated man shook his head ever so slightly. "Then, I guess not really. I mean, once someone is dead it can't be undone." Cedric's mouth dropped open, and he looked as if he'd been stabbed.
WAIT. Rolland sent knights into battle all the time, and on occasion some didn't come home. Suddenly Sofia realized she was equating Rolland and other kings who commanded men with murders. Cedric was enamored with Rolland, so she was in essence defaming his crush. No wonder he looked so unhappy. "But its not the same thing if someone goes into battle and dies Mr. Cedric. I mean, in that situation people are fighting for their beliefs, so maybe it's not the same thing."
"Their… beliefs."
"Uh, yeah. Please don't be upset, I just don't want you to live with that burden. You're perfect the way you are."
Cedric's hands were shaking again. She'd practically forgotten why they were on the floor in the first place, and she moved to hug him. It steadied his nerves. "P-p-perhaps you really ought to lie down dearest. You need to sleep. When Rolland comes I'll wake you.'"
"Okay." He helped her stand and she walked a couple steps to the bed, and froze. She had to get this horrible dress off, every inch of it reminding her of the cave, and of Hugo fawning over her in it.
Hugo, who was in all probability dead now.
However she really shouldn't do it with Cedric standing there. But the idea of being alone still terrified her, even with the enchantments on the windows.
She turned, unsure of how to even ask him this, but he really shouldn't care. He wasn't attracted to women anyway, so it would be like changing around Amber. She'd done that hundreds of times.
"Mr. Cedric… do you…uh…"
There was an uncomfortable silence as he waited for her to finish, but he finally grew impatient, "Yeeees? Out with it, it's better than you knocking over more furniture."
"I.. uh…"
There was a knock at the door. A maid had brought food. Cedric took it and brought it inside, then finished the enchantments on the door. They were now sealed inside.
"I… uh… is it okay if you stay while I change clothes? I can't be alone. Not right now." That was weird. His shoulders slumped that his robe slid off a little, and mouth curled up ever so slightly.
"B-b-but don't you have a closet for these things?" He gestured a bit at her closet, and Sofia instinctually pulled away from the dark space beyond the doors.
"Please no, someone might take me."
"From your…. Closet? Honestly Sofia there's only one way in or out of there."
"But they might have magic! Please let me change here with you. Please." Balance faltering, he practically dropped the tray of food. "Please Mr. Cedric, is it okay?"
"Bwaaaaa only if you're c-c-comfortable with that p-p-princess."
She nodded and set about getting herself out of the corset. It was no wonder Donovan was having trouble with it, the thing was ridiculously complicated. She finally wiggled the dirty article off and kicked it to the side as if it was cursed. She was aware that Cedric was just standing there, staring at her and holding the tray in front of himself, but for some reason it didn't seem so bad to have him watching. Normally she'd feel body conscious, but perhaps she was too tired to care. It had been over a day since she'd woken in his tower.
She reached for her nightgown, "You can set the food down Mr. Cedric, I'm almost done."
He wasn't moving. Nightgown on she turned to face him. The man saw her turn and crumpled into a cross-legged pile on the floor, the tray noticeably positioned to cover his lap.
"Mr. Cedric are you okay!?"
He nodded furiously and seemed to have broken out in sweats. A high pitched "yes" barely escaped him. Perhaps he was tired, it was entirely likely no one slept well last night. Sofia gulped down the soup and crawled into bed but he was still there on the floor.
Was he going to sleep on her floor again? He'd done it before when her leg was burned, but it seemed wrong somehow. A feeling she couldn't describe, somewhere between needing the warmth of a familiar body and empathy for another soul gripped her.
She reached out and took one of his hands, pulling him toward the bed. He followed to the bed's edge while gripping at his front robes with the free hand, then hovered strangely while she nestled into the covers. "If you're uncomfortable you don't have to share with me Mr. Cedric, but I just thought you deserved a rest too after everything that happened today."
He closed his eyes, "Are you s-s-sure it's alright p-p-princess?"
"Of course."
"B-b-b-but what if your f-f-father comes? H-h-he's going to come s-s-soon."
He probably wouldn't want to be caught off guard when Rolland came. It would make him look like he wasn't guarding her, and then Rolland would give him that look of disapproval, again.
"It'll be okay. The door is enchanted, so you'll hear him knocking and wake up. Then you go open the door. He'll be happy you're protecting me and keeping me safe, I know it."
"B-b-but are you sure you're c-c-comfortable with this? I mean, what happened this morning, you're absolutely, positively sure you're c-c-comfortable with this?"
She nodded, "Uh-huh. You're YOU Mr. Cedric, and I feel safe with you. Please, you shared your bed with me."
"I s-s-suppose I did, didn't I?" Eyes closed, he started to crawl on top of the sheet, but stopped abruptly. "But no, I couldn't. I'll be alright here p-p-princess." He slunk down alongside the bed, chest pressed into the side of her mattress. He ended up kneeling on the floor and set his head on the sheets beside her.
He still seemed so far. She inched closer, wrapping her arms around his head and drawing him into her chest. "Mr. Cedric?"
He was breathing strangely. She relaxed her grip a bit to give him a little more oxygen. "Yes princess, what is it? You should rest."
"I know, it's just…"
"Just what?"
"You saved me. You're my hero." She turned her chin toward him with the intent to kiss his cheek. As she did so he turned.
"Sofia I'm—"
The intended landing point had moved, and she found herself kissing the corner of his mouth. Blood drained from the sorcerer and he knelt there, frozen like a statue. Startled, she pulled away. He didn't seem happy, more like frightened, probably because others might misinterpret that if it ever got out. "Oops, sorry Mr. Cedric."
His head started gyrating side to side, as if to shrug off what she'd just done, and it was best to just ignore the awkwardness.
"J-j-just sleep princess. SLEEP." She relaxed her head back down, but lingered on the unexpected moment. It had felt strangely comforting.
With enchantments shimmering all around them for protection the girl finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep, the sorcerer stroking her hair as she did.
… … …
A couple hours passed before the pounding on her door began. Cedric shook Sofia awake and then flung himself away off the bed toward the door. His robe was still undone, but now his shirt and vest were untucked, and his pants shifted strangely. He must have been horribly uncomfortable kneeling on the ground while she slept.
Cedric spun in little frantic circles while fixing his hair and reassembling his clothes properly. Oh Cedric, he really did care what Rolland thought of his appearance, even now. Enchantments rescinded, Rolland entered the room.
"Sofia dear, how are you feeling?"
The princess sat up and looked at Rolland. He seemed unhappy but not beside himself. In the distance she could hear high-pitched wailing. "I'm okay Dad but where's James? Please tell me he's okay, please Dad, PLEASE!"
Rolland put his hands up and motioned for her to calm down. "It's okay Sofia, James if fine. He's a bit beat up but his body will heal soon." Sofia let out a large sigh of relief, but there was still that wailing in the background. Sofia looked up at Cedric who had noticed it too, extremely concerned. She turned back to her father, "I know someone died Dad. I saw the blood on Donovan's sword."
Rolland closed his eyes and let out a large sigh, sitting down next to Sofia on the bed. He bit his lip and clenched his fist. Sofia looked back at Cedric, unsure of what to do or say. The sorcerer looked just as confused. Rolland finally spoke, "Sofia dear, I heard they took you away from the boys at the outset. I just want you to know that James and Hugo tried everything they could think of to free themselves and rescue you and Hildegard. They both told me so." Sofia nodded, but the very room was spinning. "Desmond was apparently shrieking and babbling incoherently, and the abductors decided he must have been the Maldonian prince." Rolland reached forward and took Sofia's hand in his, "Dearest, Desmond didn't make it."
Sofia reared back, retracting her hand and grabbed at her hair, pulling as hard as she could, as if somehow the physical pain could mask the heartbreak at hearing that Desmond had been killed.
It had started. The tiniest of little pains in the back of her brain had begun to throb.
Suddenly Sofia's thoughts were of Amber. "Oh No, NO! Amber!" Sofia glanced out the door toward the hallway where the high-pitched shrieking was coming from.
Rolland turned toward Sofia and pulled her hands out of her hair. "I just finished telling her what happened, but I needed to come and see how you were doing Sofia. I'm worried about you too."
Sofia knocked his hands away, "But what about Hildegard, where is she? Is she alright? Cedric only saw boys. Please you found her, right Dad? She has to be okay. She has to…"
Rolland looked up at the ceiling. "I'm so sorry Sofia, Hildegard didn't make it either."
An incoherent cry of agony escaped the princess, and she collapsed over into a mass on her bed. The tiny throb in the back of her mind grew a little bit more. Hildegard was dead, Desmond was dead, and Amber's life was now devastated, to say nothing of the horrors Hugo and James may have witnessed, and the lives of all those men lost in the caves. It was overwhelming. While Sofia sat there reeling Rolland turned his attentions to the poor sorcerer observing this scene unfold while helpless to comfort the princess. "I'm so sorry Sofia, I did the best I could, given the performances of everyone involved." Rolland shot a horrible look at the sorcerer, who buckled at the waist. Sofia didn't notice, as she was still rocking back and forth and wailing on the bed. "Sofia, please. Hurting yourself won't bring them back, so please calm down dear."
He'd reached out to stroke her head, but the girl retracted and flung herself face down into the mattress, the throbbing in her head growing exponentially.
Rolland let out a great sigh, "How horrible this all is. King Aaron is beside himself with grief, as are Desmond's parents. Everyone feels responsible, but some are more guilty than others."
The comments ire drew Sofia's face from the mattress, and she looked up to see Rolland scowling at the sorcerer.
"Cedric, I still need to talk to you about what happened. I'm very disappointed and—"
"NO DAD!" Sofia flung herself forward. Her face was contorted with agony but she had to end the poor sorcerer's unjust suffering, "Mr. Cedric was the one who saved me. He stopped Donovan from defiling me! He didn't kill the kidnapper, but he was the one who saved me."
Brows furrowed, Rolland didn't seem convinced. "Is that true Cedric?"
A petrified sorcerer stood in the middle of the princess's room and nodded cautiously.
"I see, but that still doesn't excuse you rushing into the caves like that. Desmond and Hildegard might have survived if you hadn't been so fool hearty."
"NO DAD! Donovan came to me and showed me the silver ball. It was the spell, they saw the spell and realized they were all going to be killed anyway, so that's why he… why he… oh HILDE I'm so sorry, BWAHHHH"
Sofia lost it. It seemed like her head was going to explode in pain.
It took several minutes for Rolland to calm the girl down, all while Cedric stood there helpless several feet away. "Okay Sofia, I understand. I suppose it was unfortunate Cecelia's spell was detectable by the brigands."
Cecelia had cast the spell. What was the object she desired most? It must have been someone in the caves. Suddenly that dinner where she'd been burned flashed before her eyes. Cecelia had been tossing menacing glares at Sofia while Hugo fawned over her.
Was Cecelia in love with Hugo? The pieces could fit, that's why the silver ball hadn't reached her in the caves. It had sought out Hugo, and terminated its flight there. Amber might know the answer, if the girl ever recovered from the shock of Desmond's untimely end.
There was another set of high-pitched wails coming from down the hall. Poor Amber. Her beloved Desmond had perished, and along with him the happy future her dear sister had been planning for their lives. "Dad, who's with Amber right now?"
"She's alone in her room Sofia."
She started shaking violently, "No! You should go to her Dad, she NEEDS you!"
"But Sofia what about you?"
"Unless you want to finally tell Mom what happened you need to be with her. If you don't I'm going!" Sofia started to get up out of bed but was flailing wildly. The pain in her head throbbed so violently she felt sick, and vertigo took hold, forcing her to collapse back onto the bed.
"SOFIA!" Cedric had lunged forward, but Rolland caught the girl, and gently settled her back into the covers.
"Now Sofia I'll tell your mother what happened now that our whole family is alive. She didn't need to put herself and the baby in jeopardy."
Emotionally spent and unable to fight Sofia clutched at her throbbing cranium. "PLEASE don't leave Amber alone. It's okay Dad, I've got Cedric. He said he'd stay with me, so please go to her."
Rolland looked up at the terrified sorcerer, "I wasn't very happy with you when you went against my orders today, but now I'm glad that you did. Thank you for saving her Cedric."
Cedric stood there, shaking a bit, "Y-yo-you're welcome s-sire."
Rolland stood, "Please stay with Princess Sofia tonight, I will be needed with Amber and James."
Cedric nodded and Rolland gave Sofia a hug before departing, the sound of wailing stifled once the doors shut. Sofia pulled her knees in close to her chest and began rocking back and forth. Cedric ran to her side and immediately Sofia pounced on him, hugging the man for dear life again.
"Sofia, wait, WAIT! I've go to recast the barrier before Baileywick wanders in and orders me beheaded!"
He drew his wand and cast yet another barrier spell on her door, then relaxed to let the girl grab at him for comfort. He took her hands in his, a very sincere look of concern upon his face.
"You're listing about strangely, and probably still require rest. You should really sleep more dearest. It is almost bed time, or did that nap mess up your sleep?"
The pounding in her head was getting worse. A nice long sleep would probably do her good. "What about you Mr. Cedric? If you're not tired can stay up with you."
"Perish the thought child. I could use a few good hours of rest in your excellent company, as I certainly couldn't nap with you earlier. Not with Rolland looming large."
He leaned in a bit closer, "You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"
"No. I kept thinking that if I fell asleep they would come and kill me."
"Poseidon's pumpkins. Sofia I'm so incredibly sorry this happened to you."
"It's okay Mr. Cedric, it wasn't your fault."
There was a long pause as the sorcerer massaged his forehead and whimpered, and her thoughts drifted to darker places. If only it hadn't been Desmond's blood on that sword. The thought made the throbbing in her head worsen, and she reached up to massage her temple. "I'm a horrible person Mr. Cedric."
"Never. I'll have none of this self-loathing going on, do you hear me? Why would you even say that Sofia?"
Could she tell him the truth? He'd sat on top of the bed, wrapping her up inside his robe again and had pulled her onto his lap. Considering he'd been eager to overthrow the world earlier maybe he wouldn't judge her too harshly.
"Because… I wished that Desmond was still alive, For Amber, and I wished James was alive, because he's our brother."
The sorcerer's head dropped to one side, but then he realized what she was really saying. "Oh. As in, you wished that Hugo was the one who died."
Admitting it out loud was hard, and the princess bit her lip hard to numb the internal pain throbbing in the back of her head. "Not really, I wish no one died, but when you said you saw two men my first thought was that I hoped one was James, and the other was Desmond." Pressing her hands to cover her face the princess whispered, "I'm a horrible person."
"No. You're an amazing, beautiful and resilient person Sofia. It's Hugo they were after anyway. I can't believe that troll would let his friend die in his place, and what almost happened to you, I can't even bear to think about it. Then again perhaps I can believe that pond scum could sacrifice someone else for his sickly hide."
So he wasn't mad at her, or judging her for wanting Desmond and James to be the ones who survived. It was a major relief, and the pain in her head subsided very slightly. "You're the best Mr. Cedric."
The sorcerer smiled widely. "I'm not sure what prompted that, but I'll take it."
"It's just that you seemed so understanding that I'd have a preference for who lived."
"Oh that, well in this instance I can sympathize with wanting the target of the attack to die instead of the bystander. If only it always worked that way, history would have written different stories, but then again…" He bent over and kissed her head. "Then again I suppose I wouldn't have met the irritatingly charming Sofia, and that would have been a true travesty." Another kiss, this time closer to her temple, "Then who would have set me to rights?"
Sofia shook her head, "The credit's not mine Mr. Cedric. You made the choice, I was just here for moral support. You made the decision to be the best of yourself."
"I try Sofia, I really do. I know that YOU know I struggle with it, but I really do try. For you. Always for you. I'd do anything for you Sofia."
"That was the most wonderful thing I've ever heard Mr. Cedric."
"Really? And why is that?"
"Because it means that I make you want to be a better person. I really care about you Mr. Cedric, if anything ever happened to you I don't know what I'd do."
He really was the kind, loving, wonderful mentor, and now he'd had the amulet in his hands and turned away from temptation, for her. He'd defied the odds and saved her life. It was almost euphoric, that he'd finally embraced the hero's lot, and she let herself take in the moment. He seemed like the most important, amazing person in the world at that moment. Closer to her heart than Amber, than James, Rolland, her mother, Birk, or anyone else she'd ever known. Like the closest family she'd ever had.
There was another muffled wailing resounding through the walls and another stab of pain shot through Sofia's head. It made her recoil, and Cedric started stroking her hair. "Poor Amber."
"Indeed. It's never easy to loose someone you love. The pain never truly goes away, does it?"
She turned to look up at him, "Did you loose someone you loved Mr. Cedric?"
He tightened his grip on her hair, "I suppose one could say that, but then again it wasn't really love because they didn't truly love me in return."
Oh man. How could she be so silly. He was obviously talking about Rolland crushing his feelings again. She was trying to figure out what to say when he nestled his head into her hair. "But it doesn't matter anymore. Amber will grow to accept it, and she'll be fine. She's resilient like her father, and you are all that matters now." He shifted against the pillow, drawing Sofia's head into the crook of his shoulder. "Come closer Sofia. Let me hold you tonight."
Her hair kept getting caught in his buttons. At first it was a tiny inconvience, but then… He didn't normally sleep with those on anyway, and his soft skin was underneath. Maybe, just maybe he'd part with the vest. She reached up and ever so gently undid the offending button. The sorcerer yelped.
"Sorry! I just thought, well it was getting caught on my hair and you don't really sleep with it on anyway and I just… I'm sorry Mr. Cedric."
"Mr. Cedric?"
He gulped rather strangely, but then leaned in, "Are you s-s-sure Sofia? I mean, well considering today's events it's not t-t-too much?"
She shook her head shyly. Why was she suddenly embarrassed? It was almost… exciting, undoing the buttons on his vest. He was just staring at her as she did it, almost as if he couldn't reconcile it was actually happening. Once the vest was off the bow looked sorely out of place. He didn't normally sleep with that either.
She reached up and pulled on the tie's end. As the knot gave way his eyes bulged out and he started gripping the sheets underneath himself rather strangely. That was enough for now. He was becoming uncomfortable.
"I think you'll sleep better this way Mr. Cedric. No one likes to sleep on buttons."
"Okay" squeaked out of him, and he sank into the pillows. Suddenly his head flopped in between them, and he started fighting an epic battle trying to resurface. The clumsiness reminded her of her first endeavor sleeping on this massive fluffy bed, and a small smile returned to her. He finally extracted his head, bangs tossed about and hair disheveled, but the goofy grin was solidly in its place. Eyes closed, and he reached forward, wrapping her up in his arms and pulling her onto his chest.
"Good night, my sweet princess."
"Good night Mr. Cedric."
Sofia finally felt safe. Her mind kept wandering back to Amber's room. The poor girl was obviously infatuated with Desmond, and now their love story had ended abruptly in the most violent way possible. Would she ever be okay? Sofia then thought of her mother, and how it had taken several years but she'd finally put Birk behind her and fell deeply in love with Rolland. Amber would be okay, it may take a while, but eventually she would fall in love again. Lying there, Sofia couldn't help but wonder when her love story would begin. If someday she would find her special someone, after the war in Friezenburg was resolved. Would she be like Rolland or her Mom? Who had fallen in love young and then found strength in new romance after tragedy. Or would her life be like her Papa, doomed to pine for a lost love for the remainder of her days. Perhaps she'd be like Aunt Tilly, who waited until she was old and graying before finding her special someone. Maybe she'd be lucky and be like Cedric's parents, who fell in love young and stayed together through thick and thin, living happily in wedded bliss for all time. But then, her life may unfold like Cedric's, whom fell in love without hope of returned affections. His was a truly awful fate, and the sorrow of it made her head throb worse in the night. For his part the sorcerer had dozed off with one hand intertwined in her hair and the other around her shoulders. There was no use ruminating on it further, it was time for sleep.
She awoke before the sorcerer. He was still snoring lightly and she was loathe to wake him. Looking around, her room seemed as it always had, albeit the furniture was still slightly out of place. The barriers he'd cast blocked even the small portal Clover often used to enter into her room. The throbbing in her head remained, and she looked around for a distraction to keep herself occupied until the sorcerer awoke naturally. There at the end of the bed were the poems he'd forced into her hand in the carriage. She'd turned them out of her pockets while changing, but now there they were, begging to be read. She glanced over at the man, happily snoring the early morning away.
The closest one contained a poem rife with confliction. At some point he must have realized Rolland couldn't return his affections, but didn't want to accept it.
Where does your Majesties true heart lie?
In the arms of a pretty, vapid face,
Or the purest of souls, lacking in grace,
For you do keep your intentions sly
My weapon my wand, not sharp as steel
But magnificent enough to impress
Do you truly wish for me to kneel?
To perversely delight in my distress?
The agony of your choice, do you not feel?
Our bliss weighed against a perfect princess
Your love, a prison warden of my pain,
Forever your royal fool shall suffer
For I am bound, forever in your chains
Something gripped her tight across the chest. The sadness, the poor conflicted agony conveyed in the words made waves of sympathy wash over her. She wanted to turn and smother the sleeping man next to her in hugs and kisses. The feeling took her by surprise, and she sat there with sheets about her waist trying to come to grips with the strange emotions swirling around inside.
"I never took you for the type who enjoys poetry."
Oops. She dropped the parchment, the yellowed document floating down to the sheets below. He seemed a bit more on edge than the other times she'd woken up next to him. "I thought it didn't bother you if I read them."
"It doesn't, not anymore. But I wonder, does it bother you Sofia?" He sat up and hovered over her, wrapping an arm around her back. "Is this part of me troublesome to you?"
How could she respond? Perhaps that's all that these strange feelings were, she had been moved by the words. "It's beautiful writing Mr. Cedric. So nice." She reached out and touched the page now in her lap.
"That is the nicest compliment I've ever received for them Sofia, but I was wondering if it bothered you on a deeper level, as in, who they were about. Does that bother you?" She looked back down at the pages to keep him from seeing her face, and her own confliction.
It had seemed so easy to tell James she didn't care if he was gay, but now with him laying there it seemed impossible to say it sincerely. Fists clenched and jaw tightened, she had to say it. He was her friend and it really shouldn't matter, so why did it seem so hard?
"No, no Mr. Cedric it doesn't bother me." She turned to face him, but a suspicious eyebrow was pointed at her. She summoned all her courage to support her dearest friend. "No honestly, it doesn't matter to me. You're still the best, most amazing man."
That sly little grin crossed his lips. "So now I'm an amazing man, not sorcerer. I think I'll take it." Arms tightened around her as his head rested over her shoulder. "And thank you Sofia. Only someone with your infinite kindness could so easily forgive all my shortcomings. Especially about the spell yesterday, you have to know it was Rolland's fault, reminding me of what happened back then."
"Mr. Cedric you don't have to thank me, and I know that you-"
He'd turned his head ever so slightly and kissed her neck, exactly where Donovan had kissed her in the cave.
"SOFIA!"
She was on the floor, screaming incoherently when reality came crashing back in, the pain in her head throbbing like mad. Cedric was still on the bed, hovering over the edge just staring at her with disbelief and worry. She'd reacted to his kiss as if it were Donovan, as if she was still in the cave desperate to flee, and ended up on the floor. "What in Merlin's name was that all about?! Did I poke you with my nose somehow?"
Suddenly there were loud pounding noises at her door.
Cedric looked as if he'd had an aneurysm and once the momentary shock wore of he leapt up frantic, hands shaking in the air. There was another pounding and the sound of a concerned man's voice on the other end. Someone had heard her screaming and come running to help.
Suddenly Sofia was tossed on the bed and sheets thrown over her. "You're going to be the death of me girl." Uncovering her face revealed a sorcerer trying desperately to reassemble the clothes she'd coerced him out of last night. "Today, right here in the very room they're going to lob my head off. Merlin's mushrooms." Hopping toward the door as he put on his shoes Cedric tripped over his own feet and fell, smacking rather hard into the marble floor. Sofia tried to stand but the throbbing in her head wouldn't abate.
Another round of pounding and Cedric flung the door open. Baileywick stood, extremely concerned. "Oh my what happened? I was walking by with Amber's breakfast and heard screaming!"
Cedric just stood there, stone stiff as Baileywick breezed past him. "Princess Sofia, are you okay? What happened here?"
"I… uh…" She glanced over at Cedric, whose upturned nose and fearful eyes betrayed his nervousness. She probably shouldn't tell Baileywick he'd been kissing her neck, even though it wasn't sexual. A small bit of the truth would have to do. "I thought I saw that man from the caves again, and I was scared."
"Oh dear." Baileywick set about straightening her blankets in one solid tugging motion. He had a talent for these things, and then nodded softly. "There you go Princess. Now that you're awake I'll have breakfast brought immediately."
He was so preeminently concerned, but it served no purpose to have him worry. She mustered an insincere smile and the kindly steward relaxed. "It's okay Baileywick. I'm just fine."
The steward left, but the sorcerer remained, somewhere between perturbed and concerned and completely forgetting to redo the door's enchantment. He stood there a ways off, examining her, straining hard to keep from speaking his mind. His staring only made the throbbing in her head worse, and she started massaging her head again.
The mattress shifted. Now seated next to her, he bent over with concern dominating. "Alright, so you're a bit sensitive about the neck. All you had to do was tell me Sofia, not scream like a banshee."
"I'm sorry Mr. Cedric, it's just that, when he had me knocked over and was trying to hurt me he kissed me there, and I just… reacted. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."
Cedric groaned, then wrapped the hunched over girl in a hug. "I suppose some of this is to be expected, but honestly I asked you several times if it was too soon. You women, the main ingredient in your manufacture is contradiction, I'm sure of it." She twisted around to hug him back but the essence of his words eluded her as the headache made her wince in pain. That reaction elicited more concern. "Alright out with it. Why are you constantly rubbing your head and wincing? I'm not angry any longer that you tried to summon the harbingers of my doom."
"My head hurts Mr. Cedric. I thought sleeping would make it stop, but it just keeps getting worse."
As if someone had tweaked a facial nerve Cedric spasmed most unhappily. "Do you mean to tell me you've been in PAIN all night and hadn't even mentioned it?!" She nodded, "Odin's icicles Sofia! Why would you just suffer in pain when I'm RIGHT HERE and can brew you a potion to fix this. Of all the insufferable, ugh, come on let's go."
Grabbing her hand, he started to pull her toward the door. "Wait Mr. Cedric! I need to get dressed first!" He stopped and yelped, drawing his wand and flinging another barrier spell at the door. This time he didn't turn to face her while she changed, instead planting his face noticeably into the wall. She had to reach out for his hand to let him know it was over, but maybe he was offended when she did it yesterday but unsure how to tell her he was uncomfortable?
They were scurrying toward his tower when a maid hurried alongside them, gifting a breakfast of ham and eggs with a small bit of pastries. They weren't her favorite breakfast, she could eat the scones at least. Sofia sat there on her stool nibbling in his tower while he fired off a litany of questions about the pain, where it was, the intensity, and so on. Then spent a solid half hour rummaged through books to find just the right potion to cure this new affliction. It was rather sweet, if time consuming, but she was able to stroke her phoenix, who had spent her absence alongside Wormwood in the tower, and that brought a small relief to her aching head. The bird still couldn't fly or speak, and Wormwood seemed overtly worried about the lack of developments. Cedric however, was preoccupied in finding her a spell.
"I just can't seem to find the right one, your symptoms aren't consistent with tension or with migraine, it's almost as if it's psycholog—"
There was an obtrusive knock at the door. Cedric groaned, then answered it. Again the steward made an appearance. "Good morning Cedric."
The sorcerer scoffed, "What do you want Baileywick? If you're seeking compliments on the eggs it will have to wait until Sofia's health improves."
"Oh dear, Sofia what's the matter now?"
"I've got a headache Baileywick."
"But it's nothing I can't fix if you'd leave me be, so I'm terribly sorry but we'll have to table this delightful banter until later. Off you go."
Cedric was shooing away the steward, but the man planted a foot in the doorway. "I'm sorry Cedric, but King Rolland has summoned you to a meeting about the developments from yesterday."
"You're a bit gruff in the mornings, are you Cedric?" Behind Baileywick stood unnoticed Constable Miles. They were going to take the sorcerer away. Sofia lunged forward and wrapped an arm around him. "No! Please don't make him go, I can't be alone!"
The tiniest of imperceptible smiles turned up in the corner of Cedric's mouth, but Baileywick had planned for this eventuality. "It's alright Sofia. Constable Miles will stay with you."
Cedric's shoulder's slumped, and Sofia glanced frantically between the steward and constable. "But doesn't he need to attend Dad's meeting too?"
"Not this time little princess" boomed the constable. "It's about foreign affairs of state and magical stuff, and besides I've got lots of reports I'm expecting on the domestic front so it's better not to have the meeting interrupted unnecessarily. I'll report to Rolland afterward."
"Which means you'll be perfectly safe Sofia. Now come along Cedric." Baileywick pressed.
The sorcerer pressed his arm closer to his body, that Sofia's arms around it were up against his side, but after several impatient glances at his pocket watch the steward would wait no longer, and pulled the sorcerer away. Sofia cried out a little in distress and Cedric froze. He started jumping strangely, then flung an arm toward her. Held within it's hand was his family wand.
"Here, take it. Just until the meeting's over." She reached up and put her fingers around it, not so accidentally trailing her fingers over his before clasping it. It made the sorcerer smile, but then he was yanked away, leaving her standing in the center of his tower with the constable guarding the door.
Miles said nothing, he simply stood stalwart. They never did connect on a deeper level. An hour passed and Sofia stood by the windowsill, the cool air drifting through a very small alleviation to the pain inside her head. There were dark red flowers growing there, as they always did, and stuck as she was with nothing to do but wait for his return she started inspecting the things. They were beautiful, with long dark petals and curious white anthers erupting from their center.
The sound of footsteps up the tower stairs pulled her back into reality, but it wasn't Cedric. A guard had come to deliver the expected reports to the constable. He took it and began reading, but the guard atypically began looking around the tower in awe.
Oh no.
It was WESTIN! Sofia leapt to her feet and caught her cousin in her sights. He looked instantly happy, but then returned to his resolved state. What was he doing here? Didn't he know what kind of danger he was in? And why was he dressed like a guard?
The constable noticed Sofia had shot off the windowsill and froze halfway toward him, and the report he'd been reading dropped to his sides. "Is everything alright your Highness?"
"I… er… um…" She needed to talk with Westin, immediately, but couldn't do it with the constable there.
"I… I was just thinking that, since you've got your reports now and it wouldn't disrupt the meeting you could go. A hahaaa" The nervous, pained laugh seemed to work, and the constable nodded.
"Very well your Highness, I suppose you are right. If you're feeling more secure I'll take my leave of you." She nodded slowly to minimize the pain associated with moving her head and he turned to Westin. "You there, stay with the princess until relieved."
"Yessir"
The large door shut behind them. "WHAT are you DOING here? Don't you realize if you're caught they might kill you?!"
Despite exploding at the young man he lunged forward and wrapped her in a great bear hug. "Oh cousin we were all so worried about you!"
"Papa heard about the abduction, didn't he?"
"Yep, some lanky guy came to find us and told Uncle Birk what happened. He said you recognized him as the 'mystery mage', and he took us to where you were being held. We got Lucinda and came to rescue you but it was too late. Everyone was gone and the cave had been destroyed."
Wow. They'd come to help as well. The throbbing in her head took hold, and she reached up to massage it again. "Oh no, were you hurt cousin!"
"No, this pounding headache started last night, but that doesn't matter. What DOES matter is when Cedric recognizes you he's going to tell Dad, and then they'll send you back to King Aaron in Friezenburg, and they'll kill you Wes! You can't stay here like this."
"What? Cedric lives here with you? Why would a royal sorcerer live inside the castle with the royal family?"
"Almost all the servants live here in the servants quarters, but you're standing in Cedric's tower."
"Whoa." The man stood and spun around it, reaching out as if entranced but afraid to touch all the beakers, ingredients and spell books lying about. "It's so amazing. This guy is seriously cool."
"Yeah, he's the best. He saved me from the leader of the kidnappers too. He's amazing." She was a bit lost in musing on how Cedric looked this morning while he slept, and that almost kiss… but then her cousin turned toward her. "Oh man, Birk and Dad sent me here so you wouldn't have to put yourself in danger anymore. I'm supposed to be the one gathering information from the royals. I have to stay, somehow." He turned down and motioned to pet the little phoenix sitting on the table in her nest, but Wormwood crowed menacingly.
"It's alright Wormwood, he's a nice guy."
The raven scoffed. "I'm sure Cedric would be displeased he's lurking here with you." But he settled down and let the guy pet the brightly plumed phoenix.
Cedric. When he saw Westin that would be the end of her cousin. Sofia clutched the wand in her hands. "Wait, I've got it. Hold still Westin."
He did as told, and Sofia used Cedric's wand to enchant the man's hair and eyes a decidedly sandy brown shade. She stood back to admire the work, and was struck by an uncanny similarity between the boy and her stepfather.
"Wow."
"What? What? Did the spell go wrong?" Westin was spinning about trying to see himself. It was kind of awkwardly funny.
"No, it's just now that your hair is light brown you look a lot like King Rolland, well a younger King Rolland. You're tall and muscular like him too."
Westin puffed up his chest and lifted one arm across his chest, "Do I look regal?"
"No, you look silly." He started chucking and Sofia felt a giggle come out, but the shaking it produced made her head ache further.
"Sofia what's the matter?"
"My head, it just won't stop hurting. When I heard some of my friends died it just started pounding, but I… I… I feel so responsible. For everything. It's all my fault, I started this whole mess and now Desmond, and Hildegard… Oh… oh… BWAHHHH"
She lost composure, and even though tears didn't fall she was emotionally spent. Westin started stroking her head and gripped her a bit tighter, trying to get the girl calmed down. "Hey there now, you did nothing, I repeat NOTHING wrong. You can't blame yourself for other's actions Sofia, and you did things to HELP people, understand?"
A series of slight nods, and the girl began to relax. She looked up at him and touched the side of his face. "Thanks Wes."
The door creaked open as he smiled down at her, "Anytime sweetie."
CRASH.
There stood Cedric in the doorway. A broken plate that had held an assortment of Sofia's favorite breakfast foods lay strewn upon the ground below him. He looked as if he'd just walked in on Rolland and Miranda in the throws of passion, with one eye twitching and mouth agape.
Oh no! Did he recognize Westin despite the disguise?