Chapter 43: Amnesty
"My Decisions is this. I do not believe you, Rolland of Enchancia. You see only power and the means to control that which you cannot conquer outright, as all Royals do. If we invite you into our country, you will use your armies to turn against us, and then we will have to fight both you and Maldonia. So my answer is, 'no'." The crowd assembled started stomping, menacingly tightening the circle around Rolland.
"No! That's not it at all!" worriedly Rolland pleaded, taking aim at his daughter, "Sofia, please tell him that I'd never do that!"
"Ummm…" Sofia glanced back and forth between them, agitating Birk. There was more at stake in choosing one man over the other, this she knew.
"Do not seek to sway her. She is of Friezenburg." Rolland had stepped closer, further aggravating Birk. He grew tense as Rolland was mere feet from them, and positioned himself to block Rolland's advance toward his daughter. "She cares about her people, deeply, and can see through your deceptions."
"No wait, Papa, please everyone, just… wait."
"How DARE you! Sofia has lived in Enchancia all her life!"
"She is of MY blood, the blood of our people. You cannot take that from her, no matter how you may try." Birk shot back sternly.
Rolland grew furious, eyeing the shorter man menacingly. "She's been MY daughter for over a decade, how long did you spend with her, Birk? Three years? And of those how often were you actually taking care of her? Don't think Miranda never told me about you, how you were always off to sea, leaving them all alone."
"Please, both of you stop this, there's bigger problems here." Sofia tried to interject, but the men were locked in a bitter war of words, oblivious to her pleas.
"You… how DARE you invoke my beloved's name." Furious, Birk turned to the crowd, "He is as all royals are, oblivious to the suffering of their people. He is no better than the false king of Maldonia, stealing the wives of honorable Friezenburgers."
To that, the crowd began screaming horrible curses at Rolland. The king tried desperately to shout over them, "I didn't steal anyone! Miranda and I fell in love and we thought he was dead!" His knights, weary of this situation, began to help Edith surround the king in a protective ring. Cries of, "can't you see he's lying!" from Rolland were being drowned out by chants of 'purge him from this world!' and 'death to royals!' Sofia kept glancing back and forth between the men, remembering the chaos that erupted at the harvest festival and fearful that loosing grip would mean renewed fighting. She stared at Birk with hands gripping the air, pleading for him to stop the madness. He stood unmoved from where he'd issued the challenge to Rolland. The knights started hedging their way toward Rolland's flying horse, practically dragging the king from Birk.
"How can you live with yourself Birk?! I won't let you bring war to the rest of the continent!" Rolland was spitting curses as his knights suddenly stopped, drawing their swords. Their path of retreat was blocked by menacing peasants shoving torches toward them.
The situation spiraling out of control, with chants of wanton decapitation for royals echoing through the clearing, a sudden surge of rage filled Sofia. That these men would risk all these people's lives for their own personal objectives made her froth.
She lunged forward, sticking her arms straight out and palms flat toward both Birk and Rolland.
"BOTH OF YOU STOP THIS! YOU'RE ACTING LIKE CHILDREN!"
The crowd quieted to a disgruntled murmur as both Birk and Rolland fell silent, knights lowering their swords. After a deep breath, Sofia summoned her courage to finally confront these men, admiration for both all but lost. They seemed but shadows of their former selves now. "I don't believe either of you can claim the moral high ground anymore." The crowd gasped as Sofia pointed her wand directly at Birk, "You say you're doing this for the people of Friezenburg, but you're really only doing this because of Mom. You're inventing ways to turn down Rolland's help, even though it's the best possible thing for your people, because it would make Rolland look like the hero instead of you. That's so incredibly selfish."
Birk's eyes went wide. He'd been caught in half-truths, and fell back defensively. Sofia could hear grumbles, and turned to see an angered Rolland zeroing in on Birk. "This is all… a front for getting my wife back? You'd push for a WAR?"
"She is MY wife. You have usurped her."
"Why you shifty.."
"You're NO BETTER Dad." Sofia cut him off, her arm rotating round to point directly at him. On cue Edith jumped between Sofia and Rolland, nearly crossing wands. "You, Dad, just want to keep the war contained in Friezenburg so it doesn't reach Enchancia. All you seem to care about is maintaining the status-quo, no matter what that is."
Rolland's jaw dropped open. "Sofia, you know that's not true. I'm trying to save everyone's life!"
"Then what about Cedric's!" Sofia practically screamed back, stomping her foot as she yelled, "If you really cared about saving everyone's life, you wouldn't make killing him a precondition of giving these people aid!"
Dumbstruck, both of Sofia's fathers had now taken a step back. She couldn't bear to look at either of them, instead curling her fists to her chest and backing a few steps away from both. "I love you both, I care about you both, and now I understand what motivates both of you, but just look at the suffering these people are going through!" Wildly Sofia gestured toward the burning city in the background. "Think about what Mom would say. She'd say you were both too self-interested to lead anyone!"
Birk looked at his hands, as if memorizing the creases, waves of guilt washing over him. Rolland looked to have the energy sapped straight from his body. "Sofia, I… Where is this coming from? Cedric's warped mind gotten to you, hasn't it?"
"No, I…" Sofia looked up at Rolland, then back toward Birk. "I wanted to believe that both of you were motivated to be great leaders, to help your people above your own interests." She stated, with palpable fear, and loud enough that all assembled could hear the strain in her voice. "But I was wrong. You both… care more about yourselves."
There was a moment of doubt, it flashed before her as she stared at Rolland across the clearing. He looked like a pig gutted at slaughter.
She was about to be disowned.
Rolland turned toward Birk, glaring at the shorter man. After the brief, angry stare he looked up over Birk's shoulders at Sofia.
"Sofia, the truth is, that I don't know exactly what to do to make things better. All I know is that people are suffering, and I was on the wrong side of history. Victor had me thinking his kingdom was the victim in all this. But you have to believe me, I only wanted what was best for my family, and my kingdom. Wouldn't any good king want the best for his people?!"
"ENOUGH." Birk boomed. "Enough. Sofia has made her point, and a fair one, at least, on my end." Tentatively Birk looked up at Rolland, both men trying their best to tamp down the raw emotions. "In the interest, of my people, I will give you a chance to demonstrate your good will, Rolland of Enchancia." Rolland stood motionless, staring at Sofia. "I give you one day. Until the sun sets tomorrow we will not advance on the port city, and, for our part, the fighting will stop. During that time, you will have negotiated the withdrawal of every last foreign soldier from Friezenburg's soil. Then we will talk about Maldonia's fate."
Rolland was nudged out of his stunned silence by Edith, so floored with Sofia's defiance that he barely processed Birk's demands. "Wait, one day? You can't be serious? I can't just snap my fingers and make Victor do what I want. Negotiations of this magnitude require weeks of summits, and an action plan to even begin…"
"One. Day." Birk puffed up his chest, planted a hand on each hip while trying to shake the shame of earlier and stand tall. "I shall be here, at this very spot, as the sun sets tomorrow." Rolland eyed the crowd with great distrust. Birk looked to Sofia, then quickly looked down, still ashamed. "King of Enchancia, your safety upon returning will not be threatened. I will come alone."
Rolland, still shaken by Sofia's statements, simply nodded.
Birk crossed his arms. "Then Rolland, till tomorrow. If you are sincere in your desire to aid us, then there will be no more Maldonians upon our shores. If not, we will attack any Enchancian troops as the enemy."
Rolland took one long, pointed look of concern at Sofia, then turned briefly to the direction of home. He reached out a hand towards his daughter. "Done. You'll get your troop withdrawal, somehow. Alright Sofia, let's go home."
She pulled back, having almost forgot that she'd been part of the bargain.
"I can't."
"But Sofia!"
It was Birk who silenced the king, "You have yet to prove your good faith, Rolland. Then we will negotiate terms of an alliance."
"I'm not leaving without Sofia!" He countered, "She's in danger!"
"I'll be fine, Dad."
"No, if not them then he, that TRAITOR, could hurt you!" Pitchforks and torches had seemingly multiplied. Even with Edith's skills and three knights as backup it wouldn't be possible to subdue the odd one hundred or so peasants now inching closer to the king.
Could she really stand and defend Cedric, as she once had? It had been him that burned her ankle after all. She pushed the fears aside, and in a shaking voice declared, "I'll… be fine."
"I can't leave. You're my daughter." Rolland was rarely overcome, but the prospect of leaving her here was antithetical to his paternalistic nature. It was heartbreaking to watch as he struggled toward her, only to be held back by his well-meaning knights. "Sofia, I know things have been hard. I wish I would have known what was happening. But you have to believe me, in my heart, you're my daughter, and no matter what, you'll always be my daughter, my third child, the piece that made our family whole."
Sofia felt faint. That he'd cling to the bond they shared, even after the charges she'd leveled against him, struck a nerve deep within her. But he needed to go. His safety was in imminent danger, Astrid and the fallen king were alone on their journey to Enchancia and would need help, and there was damage left behind in Enchancia. It was all too much. Rolland needed to be there, not here.
"Dad, I love you too, but, you need to go home." Staring at him intensely, he looked relieved more than understanding, so she tried again to convey the urgency. "DAD, I really think you're needed AT HOME."
Hands clasped to her chest, Rolland finally started to catch the message, as he was forced to mount his horse. "Sofia, no matter what happens, I'm never going to abandon you. Never."
The horse whinnied as Rolland tightened his grip on the reigns. "I'm going to make this truce happen, and then I'm coming back for you. Please stay safe." Then, he scowled directly at Birk, anger swelling in the king. "We have unfinished business, but until then, you'd better keep Cedric away from her. If anyone is the villain in all this, it's HIM, and I'm going to bring him to justice, no matter what." Both men locked in a bitter stare, Rolland finally turned, snapping the reigns on his steed.
Off they galloped into the night, Sofia watched as their shadows disappeared into the blackness. It seemed even the stars had forsaken this land.
Birk lingered, lost for the right thing to say. Anxiously the crowd waited. The tension palpable, Birk finally began bellowing commands. "Everyone, return to the capital and restore order. Where is Amalthea? She needs to put out the fires." The situation over, peasants disbursed back from whence they came.
Sofia couldn't follow. Indeed, there were people who could use her help there, and for them she wanted to search out every last one of the injured, but to return to the scene of Birk's triumph, alongside him, would be tantamount to supporting what had happened. It was something she couldn't stomach.
Birk turned, heading after the masses toward the capital. "Wait, Papa!" He stopped.
She ran up till a few paces from him, but could go no further, unable to reach out. To trust him as she once did. "Please, I know that Rolland, that you both, on some level deep down, want the same things. Peace, and freedom, and Mom. But Papa…" He finally turned back around, looking at her through the corner of his eye. "Please Papa, you can barter my future for Friezenburg, but don't let him take Cedric. You know that Rolland will kill him. Please."
She caught Birk in a stolen glance, disgust at the usage of 'barter' writ across his face. Without a word he turned toward the capital.
"Papa?" He kept going. "Papa please!"
"What, in the world, what that about?!" Westin had come up alongside her, and was none too thrilled about the latest developments. Staring at the blank emptiness that had once been the silhouettes of men heading toward the flames, she bit her lip to stifle the hurt and loss she was feeling at having rejected the offers of both men whom she called 'father'. "Sofia! Do you realize what you just accused Uncle of?!" Taking Sofia's shoulder with his good hand he gave it a little shake. "Hello Sofia? Have you lost it?"
"No, I… I meant what I said."
"That uncle Birk is some sort of war-monger? Sofia that's ridiculous. I've known him for almost my entire life, and he's the most honorable man that ever lived."
Overwhelmed, Sofia knocked Westin's hand away. "I SAW him, I saw his followers hunting King Aaron and Astrid, I saw them… in the castle. He wanted Aaron's crown."
Westin looked at the ground between them. "Cousin, I know you're confused, but don't be. There's just a lot of anger out there. I heard that mobs of villagers are roaming around and setting fire to the place, and your Dad is the only one who stepped up and is trying to manage this mess so that we don't tear ourselves apart."
"Mob… violence?" Was it true? Were the men in the corridor not affiliated with Birk after all? "But no, I saw Birk, in the castle. He told his men to find the king."
"Well yeah, he took some of our supporters and went there, because King Aaron was in real danger from the people he's been oppressing. I mean, what would have happened if those villagers would have found Rolland instead of you? Not good things, I imagine. You saw them just now, didn't you Sofia? They're angry, at anyone who could be responsible."
"But he didn't deny it." Amalthea had turned up, startling Westin.
"Where did you go?"
Ignoring Westin's question, Amalthea leaned in. "Birk didn't deny any of what Sofia said, did he?" Westin grew silent. "I knew something funny was going on with him." The celebratory sneering was met by an irritated stare from her son. "What? It was so obvious. No one is that noble." Amalthea looked over the cousin's dejected faces, then rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. No one who isn't NAÏVE is that noble. The world's a sick place, and you've got to look out for your own. The sooner you two realize that, the less tormented you'll be."
The comment vexed the young man. "Uncle Birk was looking for you, he needs you to douse the flames blanketing the city."
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Yeesh." Westin started to walk off toward the inferno, but Amalthea hesitated. "I was watching, and you did a half-decent job quelling that particular dust-up. But if Birk is half as noble as my son thinks he is, then you, little mage, and that sorcerer will be heading back to Enchancia tomorrow evening. You get only one guess as to which of you will be in a pine box." There were hints of sarcasm in Amalthea's voice, but it scared Sofia, to her very core.
Panting, and desperately out of breath, her sides ached from running in the direction she assumed was Birk's village. Having traveled on foot but once to it, she was having a hard time remembering the turns in the pitch blackness of night. Long stabbing pains in her knees and cramps in her side were her reward for haste, but she had to get the horntail to Cedric, before Birk took him beyond her reach. It was implausible, but not impossible, that Rolland would be able to secure Friezenburg's freedom in one day. However, Sofia had no doubt that even if he was unsuccessful, he'd still come looking for Cedric, and revenge.
Practically limping, she realized that she'd been going in circles, lost in an unfamiliar country in the darkness of night. Up against a nearby boulder she leaned, looking around for some sort of sign. The night was not forgiving as distress built within her. What if Birk got to Cedric first? What if he sent word that Cedric was to be auctioned off for Friezenburg's future? The darkness crept in, menacing and cruel, as the caves had been.
"NO!" Sofia yelled, though no one could hear her. She gripped the sides of her head, reminding herself that she was outside. She wasn't tied up. Donovan wasn't stalking her, deep in these woods. "I AM IN CONTROL. I have to be." She repeated, over and over. She was free to go in any direction she chose. But which direction was it? To Birk, and the wounded in the capital? To Lucinda, floating down the river toward more Maldonian troops and danger? To Enchancia, and her family that still needed repairing? Or to Cedric, whom could be in terrible peril.
"Please, I just need to, I need to not be here. Alone. Doing nothing." She said into the blackness. Desperate, she clutched at her Amulet, bringing it to her lips. "Please tell me what to do."
Nothing.
Not one stir, not even a twinkle was to be seen. Distress giving way to desperation, she dug her fingers into the gilded stone. "PLEASE! You're supposed to protect and guide me, and I need your help! I don't know whom to believe, or whom I should trust. It's all so confusing. Please."
Nothing. Lost in confusion, her thoughts darted between both of her fathers, to Lucinda, then landing solidly on Cedric. Her handsome, flawed, still recovering and unable to stand sorcerer. Her thoughts then turned to what Rolland would assuredly do to Cedric, should he get his hands on him, panic setting in as stray tears began to fall into the barely visible snow beneath her feet. "Amulet, if you won't help me, who will guide me now?"
The odd howl of an owl echoed in the distance, but never drew nearer. The sound of rushing water came from off in the distance to fill the vacuum she found herself in. Minutes passed, and Sofia realized no help was coming. If she was to escape this blackness, it had to be of her own making. Timidly she rose, pulling her wand to her lips. The last time she'd cast this spell she hadn't even realized how much she'd grown to care for Cedric. But Lucinda had been right that night. Back then, Cedric was the thing she desired most.
It was shameful. Here she was, accusing Birk and Rolland of self-interestedness, but the spell didn't lie. She'd wanted to be beside Cedric, even then, when everything was spiraling out of control.
But, after all that had happened, was that gone too?
Memories of Cedric failing to locate her as she laid there, trapped in those horrid caves, came flooding back. How when he cast the locator spell it had misdirected to the graveyard. How the thing he'd desired most had been Anne, in her everlasting resting place. Doubts crept into her mind, worries that despite all they'd sacrificed to be together, she would never be first in his heart. That she was a conciliation prize, at best, was a wretched little thought that actually induced physical pain in her chest.
And then it dawned on her. Perhaps her heart had changed by knowing the truth, and that the spell wouldn't lead her to him.
Placing her wand to her lips, she whispered, "Please, lead me out of this darkness. Wherever my deepest desire takes me. Lucinda, Enchancia, the capital… Cedric. Any path is better than being lost in the forest." She stood up, declaring, "Findatus magicalus desirerous!" A pale glowing ball of silver starlight coalesced before her eyes. Hovering for but a second, it rocketed into the trees. She was off, chasing after it and hopefully toward the right decision.
Without the aid of Minimus, the ethereal light outpaced her. Desperately she clung to this last hope, colliding with branches, her steps twisting as they contacted unforgiving stones beneath the thin layer of snow, until the soft, pale silver glow became a pin prick in the distance. "NO! Come back!" She charged ahead with a surge of energy, praying that this spell would not abandon her to the darkness. Up and over a snow-blanketed hill it blazed, then disappeared over the horizon. "Noo!" Sofia cried out, dragging her tired limbs up the hillside. On the verge of collapsing, she finally reached the crest. The abject darkness was broken by a valley below, dotted with flickers of light.
"Windows."
Not just any, they were patterned as was Birk's village. She ran toward the house at the end of the lane, overjoyed that the spell had confirmed her deepest wish. That throughout this mess, her heart had led her to him.
Exhausted, she practically clawed her way up the steps, then thrust the door open. Inside a ruckus had broken out. Cedric's door was open, her Aunt blocking the limping man who was making a valiant effort to barge past the woman, without wand.
"Out of my way, weathered woman! Sofia needs help! She's…" Clutched in his hand was the silver ball. The moment his eyes locked on her he froze. She hobbled over, crumpling at his feet, trying desperately to catch her breath.
He let out a cry of relief. It couldn't even manifest into words. Long thin fingers were in her hair, then his entire topside collapsed downward onto her. She tried to stop him, but gravity and the utter relief of seeing her were too much for him to overcome. Hands were flying all over her, inspecting her for damage.
"I'm. Not hurt. Just. Ran. Too far." It took a second for him to process it, then suddenly she was smothered in an embrace of purple folds and bony angles. "No Cedric. Your chest. Your knee. You're still. Hurt."
He gripped her head tightly to his chest, ignoring whatever pain he must have been in.
Aunt Nelly was hovering over the human pile on the floor. "You ran? What 'bout that horse of yours?" Sofia gripped Cedric tighter. "Oh, 'twas a beautiful steed, that one. Pity. But then, what of the battle child?!"
Sofia managed muffled cries through Cedric's robe. "The capital. It's on. Fire."
"But who won?! Come on Sofia, tell us!"
Horrified that was the most important information, Sofia pulled her head out of Cedric's chest and looked up at the excited woman. Her despondent reaction did little to sway the woman's enthusiasm. She tried to glance up at Cedric, but couldn't. Instead she stared at his shoulder.
"Birk won."
Nelly's began whooping as she ran through the cottage. Her children poked their heads out of an adjacent room, then joined in the celebration as the entire household emptied into the streets, crying out in jubilation the good news.
Sofia was left alone on the floor, with Cedric gently running his hand along her back. "Something tells me, sweetheart, you're not entirely happy about that outcome." All the emotions came tumbling out alongside the pain, rage, and betrayal in awkwardly formed sobs and gasps. Unsure of what to do, Cedric's momentary hesitation was broken by hugging her with all the strength he could muster. Finally calmed, she came to realize he was wincing through this.
"I'm so sorry, you're hurt and I'm crying instead of helping you."
"Sofia, there is no need to apologize, ever again." He was still gripping the silver ball through this ordeal. "I can only imagine what horrors you've witnessed. Please confide in me, I know you must trust me, that you must…" She was finally able to look up at him, the man was overcome with emotion, eyes reddened and skin pasty.
"Cedric, were you crying?" He looked embarrassed. "Didn't you sleep at all while I was gone?"
"How could I have possibly slept with you, out THERE, in that MESS!"
"But.."
"Not once in all the times you've been off gallivanting through battle zones have I been able to sleep. Though I am looking forward to a nice, LONG evening, w… w… with my be.. belove-ed." After barely squeaking out those words that trademark goofy grin she hadn't seen in quite a while spread across his face. She quickly realized that he meant every word of that.
"Cedric, I… you're injured and we shouldn't. Wait, that's not important right now. We need to get you out of here."
Slowly the grin faded. "Whatever for dearest? You just told that cantankerous creature the war was won."
"Well, actually I told my aunt that the capital fell to my Papa. But that's not all that happened." Her warning was met with his trademark blank stare of confusion.
"Rolland came."
His inability to process the full meaning of that statement resulted in an odd sort of blinking. She'd have laughed if not for the grave situation they found themselves in.
"He offered my Papa an alliance." Slowly Cedric's eyes began to narrow. "In exchange for…"
Staring up at him with desperation, Cedric gulped thickly, extracting his hand from her shoulders and stroking his neck to ensure it was still attached correctly. "B-b-but he, the man already exacted his revenge. You saw it, he tore me asunder!"
"He wants more Cedric. He wants…" She couldn't finish. Instead, she summoned some deep inner strength and tried to rise while helping him up. Just attempting to lift him made the poor man wince in pain. "We just need to get away from here, so Papa can't find you."
"Then, your 'Papa' means to trade me, for men at arms?"
"Papa didn't say, but I can't risk losing you. If Rolland gets his hands on you…"
She looped his good arm over her shoulder, taking care not to touch his injured side, and starting helping him hop to the door. Letting it creak open allowed the jubilant cries to flood into the cottage. People were out, dancing in the streets. Dozens of them. The nearest peasant, a man about Sofia's age stopped dancing and started shouting loudly, gesturing to Sofia, "All Hail Sofia! All Hail Birk! The people have won the day!"
The entire crowd turned to exalt her. The exact opposite of a stealthy get-away. Nelly came running out from the side of the crowd, "Now what's this then? I'll get him back to bed Sofia, that you might celebrate proper with us."
The old woman began reaching for Cedric, as the man pulled emphatically away. "Unhand me Madam."
Nelly burst out laughing, "What an old grouch he is Sofia! The whole while you were gone he was wailing in his room like an infant. Come now, let old Nelly get you to bed."
"I am not an infant you, you boorish bison of a woman." Huffed Cedric. Sofia needed an excuse, quick.
"Buuuut, um, I think I need to take Cedric to get some special healing, in, um, Leidleville?" It was a horrible lie, and Nelly stood there, dumbfounded while Cedric looked confused.
"In the middle of the night? Sofia, wild men roam the border, you know that, and how could he make the journey with that busted leg?" Nelly gestured toward Cedric's injured knee, almost jokingly. "Why don't you wait until Birk and the men return in the morning, then you can set out with horse and buggy to cart that old grump."
She'd been caught, and dozens of eyes were now staring at her and Cedric. Torches lit the clearing for the celebration, but in the silence it yielded the same ominous glow she'd confronted outside the capital with Rolland earlier. Nelly laughed a bit, easing the tension. "Give that old curmudgeon here Sofia, you deserve to celebrate our freedom as a daughter of Friezenburg should."
"No, that's okay. I'll take him back to bed." She turned, letting the door close. What to do? Cedric didn't seem to know either. She practically dragged him back into his room, setting him gently on the bed. "Maybe there's a way out the back."
Before he could argue she bounded out, practically falling over from the aching in her legs, but unfortunately this cabin had but one exit and many observant eyes. Her little cousin Mary came in, joyously leaping to and fro. It backed Sofia into Cedric's room, and defeated she shut the door.
"There's just too many of them." She let her head hit the door. "I can't get you out of here without them stopping us or arousing suspicion."
There was no response. Slowly she turned to see him, fists of white knuckles gripping the blankets of his bed. "Will I never be free of the past?! Can't a man atone for his sins?"
Slowly she crept toward where he sat, letting her head fall softly onto his. "It'll be okay. I won't let Papa trade your life away. I promise."
"I suppose we must wait until the hollering outside abates. Would you, that is if you don't mind of course. W-w-w-w…"
"Cedric what is it?"
"P-p-p-please let me, h-h-hold you."
She sank down into his good side, letting his hand draw long strokes up and down his back. There, in the stillness of night, with wild celebrations echoing from beyond the doors she took the time to savor the togetherness this brought. She was laying on his arm, while he still held that silver ball out in front of them. His free hand went from stroking her back, to her side, then started wandering forward and decidedly down and around, into places it ought not to. Growing nervous as to his full intentions, her entire body stiffened. He seemed not to notice, but did run up against the lump in her pocket.
"What's this love?"
"Oh! It's the horntail, I almost forgot."
A great, satisfied smile came over him. Cedric let his bangs fall into her face, his free hand cupping hers, still holding the horntail. Overcome, his nose trailed down the side of her face, whispering to her as he rolled the silver ball in his fingers against the sheets. "D-d-d-do you know what m-m-m-means, Sofia? For I, k-k-k-know."
Timidly she nodded. He closed his eyes, to try and stifle the stammering. "All my life, I've wanted this, and you… you truly l-l-l-love me. This time, I'm the one." Softly he set a kiss upon her temple. Filled with relief and passion, she nearly cried thinking about what would happen if she couldn't get him to safety, extracting herself from his arms.
"I need to dress your knee, okay? We've got to get you mobile."
He was the worst patient imaginable. Cedric kept touching her side, her dress, and her face throughout the process of wrapping his injured knee in the horntail paste, distracting her horribly. He was still clutching the silver ball in his hands, seemingly as enamored with it as he was with her. Bruises all but healed, she giggled nervously as she set about recasting spells on his side. "You needn't worry about that, be..be…oooh, poseidon's pumpkins! Beeeeeloved." He grunted at himself, ashamed he was still struggling with this. "Your charms have worked on me, in more ways than one. I can assure you I'm no longer in dire straits. The knee is chief among my complaints, and you've been most generous with the ingredients."
"But…"
Silencing her protests with a finger to her lips, he looked again outside, then yawned loudly. "Give that wand here, Sofia." Gripping her wand, he conjured the most spectacular whirl of pulsating light. It expanded beyond them, illuminating the boundaries of this room.
"The protection spell."
"Indeed. The very same I cast in your bedroom fortnights ago. If my sister can break through this, she deserves to capture me." Quickly he flung his hand up, gripping it to his throat once more. "Scratch that. No capturing if we can help it, please."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, it made her giggle. A great grin grew upon him, and melting into the pillow behind him, the sorcerer stretched his arms out in a clear invitation. "P-p-perhaps we could, r-r-r-rest, until they retire for the night. Then we can sneak away. It's either that or this." He shook the wand a bit. "They'd not dare to stand and face a sorcerer, even an injured one, such as I am."
"Let's, not do that. Okay?" Putting her hand over his, she slowly lowered the wand. "They're still my family."
Settling in beside him, he didn't shy away from curling up around her. It reminded her of that night, which seemed so long ago, when she'd begun to suspect that his feeling were more than simple friendship. Letting her hands wander over his, she couldn't let herself fall asleep like this. He was still in serious danger, despite the spell. But then, would Rolland still offer his aide if Cedric wasn't part of the bargain?
"Cedric."
"Hmmm…" was whispered softly in her ear.
"Am I… selfish?" She felt him shift about.
"Not in the least. Where's this coming from Sofia?"
"It's just… something that happened when Rolland met my Papa."
A muffled cough came from him, "I beg your pardon, but I would imagine that your Papa is less a fan of Rolland than I am, considering the new child on the way."
The baby! She hadn't told Birk about it yet. Her whole body convulsed, and Cedric for his part chortled. "My sweet, preoccupied princess. You've not told him, have you?"
"It… didn't come up. But, what did come up is… I kind of yelled at both Papa and Rolland, saying they were selfish for arguing over Mom instead of thinking about their people."
"And?"
"And, well, here I am, trying to smuggle you out, even if it means that they might not form an alliance. Which would prolong the fighting. That makes me feel extraordinarily selfish."
"Ah."
They laid there, in silence, for what seemed like ages, Cedric twirling the ends of her hair and shifting suggestively against her. "I am as selfish as they are, aren't I?" She tightened into the fetal position thinking it over. "But I just couldn't let them trade your life away."
"Sofia stop, you're nothing if not altruistic to a fault. Always putting other's needs before your own. In a way, you're putting my needs above your own, even now." Confused, she turned upward to face him. Softly he brushed her bangs back behind her ear. "Dearest, what you're describing isn't a bad thing. It's a rather good thing, actually." Brows knit at the comment.
"Being selfish isn't good."
"Sweetheart, when people marry, they vow to love each other, above all else that may come. The whole sickness and poverty gambit they optimistically spew at each other. Do they not?"
"They… do."
"Do you see then? Your 'Papa' is no lesser of a man for prioritizing his wife above some fantastical ideals of a nation. The vows one typically speaks are a promise Sofia, and I know how you feel about breaking those."
Was it true? Was Birk still a just man, even though he prioritized his own needs above all else? Or was it Cedric's own particular brand of warped morality confusing the issue. Rolland's warning for her to keep her distance echoed through her brain as a soft chuckle came from the sorcerer.
"Don't be upset love. I am blessed beyond measure to have you Sofia, for with you, when we… we… OOH. I know that, with you, vows are more than just sweet, empty words. I simply cannot wait until… until…" He tapered off.
"Until what?"
His hand had trailed down her side, and began gripping the inside of her hip, pressing her tightly into his pelvis. That was no wand up against her. "M… M… Odin's icicles! Why is this so difficult to say, even still! Sofia, I know you stated that you desired your family and friends present, b-b-b-but at the rate it's going we're running out of family that wouldn't flog me on sight, let alone give me permission to mar… marr… OOOOH."
Before she could respond she felt her skirt rising up her leg, helped by wandering hands. "P-p-perhaps a ceremony is not but simple words after all. N-n-not truly necessary, what matters is the sentiment behind them, the very same as… as… this."
Oh Merlin. He was rubbing that silver ball along the exposed skin of her thigh as soft kisses were set on her neck. Was he really trying to do what this seemed like?
She turned her head toward him, and was caught in a kiss. He'd pressed his eyes closed, drawing her entire body lengthwise into his. She could do not but stare at him, heart racing with excited anticipation that he'd find the courage to complete this thought but terrified she'd do something wrong. What was she actually supposed to do? Eyes still glued shut, he whispered softly into her ear. "Sofia, my beloved, can this be our marriage vow?"
His hand had moved off her leg and found its way between her backside and his pants. He was tugging at something. This wasn't so hard, was it? Her copy had no trouble doing this. If she could just replicate what she'd seen Scarlet do in his tower, he'd be happy. Sucking in a large breath, she plunged her hand straight down his pants and gripped whatever she could. Hard.
The man yelped, his whole body jumping backward.
He was hyperventilating, but didn't scold her. He just looked, stunned. She'd done that horribly, horribly wrong, somehow. A few seconds and the shock wore off, Cedric settling back into her side. "Perhaps, a bit gentler, love. Here, let me."
He shifted, arching into her backside. Reality came flooding in, and she had no idea what to do to. She was going to do this wrong, he was going to hate it, and she'd never live up to his expectations. She needed a distraction, fast. "Um, Cedric, what about, your leg? And, uh, we should really focus on… fleeing?"
"The leg feels better by the minute, and shouldn't be a bother. As for the fleeing, I do believe they've gotten louder out there over the last hour. We've a long wait yet. I can't think of a better way to pass… to pass… the t-t-time." That excuse of hers obviously didn't work.
Why was she so nervous about this? It wasn't that hard of a thing to do, was it? Thoughts that she wouldn't live up to his expectations overwhelmed her. There was no formal training in this, not even rudimentary understanding of how this was supposed to work was taught in Enchancia. Her mother had never been forthcoming in these aspects, probably because Sofia had never shown particular interest in these activities. How she wished she'd taken the time to ask her Mom, or even Lucinda. The witch seemed to know what Axel liked, evidenced by the moaning behind the tree a few weeks back.
Her self-deprecating train of thought was broken by a rush of tingles down her neck from a cool sensation. Did he just lick her neck?
He did. Gentle, and with a certain sweetness to it, the gesture had the opposite reaction intended. She panicked.
Her hand flew up, covering the exposed skin. "But I thought you wanted to… wait. You told her, my copy, that your pants, that you wouldn't take them off. Ehhehe." The nervous laughter was so out of place, it left a painful silence in its wake.
"Sofia? Is everything alright? You're… oh. OH." She felt his hands tense, lifting off her body. His entire frame pulled away slightly. "I wouldn't, I'd never… I" His hands flew down, shoving the fabric of her skirt back to its original place. She turned over to see what was happening, and he'd retreated inward, pulling the blanket up a bit like a wounded animal hunting for shelter.
Somehow, she'd managed to sabotage herself. "Cedric, wait. Don't feel bad. I want to, I really do, it's just…"
His hand was up, and shaking fast, obscuring her view of him. "N-n-n-no Sofia! I'd NEVER pressure you into this." If possible, he shrunk away even further. "F-f-forgive me, I'd never force you."
Her heart sunk watching him retreat, as he internalized her own insecurities. "No Cedric, don't." He was back up against the wall, and left with nowhere to escape she forced herself past the awkwardness to set several kisses on his long nose. "Please, don't be upset. It's just not the right time, right now, this very minute. Please understand."
He nodded slightly, but still appeared wounded. Shifting around, she stroked his head, as slowly he relaxed, fondling the star he wore around his neck while still clinging to the silver ball. An hour passed slowly, and he was correct, torchlight streaming through the tiny window above seemed to intensify as the night went on, the songs and celebratory cheering growing louder beyond the doors. His eyes started to fade out of focus. "Curse Rolland, I'll never hurt you, my Sofia, like he hurt her. Never." Trailed out before he faded into unconsciousness.
Anne.
Cedric had mentioned being forced to watch Rolland and Anne together after the twins were born. It must have been awful to stand by as a powerless witness. Her anxiety must have invoked that memory. That was probably the worst possible thing she could have done to kill his confidence. But this wasn't like that, she was just nervous about living up to whatever expectations he had. Self-loathing crept up, and she resolved to figure out a way to overcome the anxiety of letting him down and restore his bruised ego. Somehow.
BANG BANG BANG
Sofia woke with a start. OH NO! She'd drifted off. Hands, arms and blankets all went flying, practically launching her out of bed. The room finally stopped spinning, and Cedric was still there, and alive. One eye was splayed open looking straight at her sitting up beside him, the other refusing to muster. She'd fallen asleep with her hand still on his head, his poor hair under it matted to one side.
BANG BANG
The mutual look of terror said it all. Natural sunlight was streaming through the tiny window. It was morning. In the maelstrom of panic she searched frantically for the wand, finally digging it out of the covers and positioning herself between Cedric and the door.
"Sofia open up!"
It was Westin. She relaxed, and moved toward the door. "Wes, is that you?". Nose pressed to the door, she could hear him moving about on the other side.
"Yeah, cousin what's going on? I can't get the door open. Neither can Lucinda."
"I should say not. I've cast a nearly impenetrable barrier. More than enough to keep the likes of them out." Cedric huffed.
"Cedric couldn't walk, and, I was worried about his safety." Sofia called out. There was an uncomfortable pause before she heard her cousin shift on the unsteady wooden planks below them.
"That's why I'm here cousin. Can you open the door?"
"Um…" Sofia looked back to Cedric, who crossed his arms and huffed his displeasure. "I don't think so Wes."
"But I've been talking with Birk, all night. You need to talk with him Sofia."
"I already know the truth Wes. Nothing he can tell me will change that."
Again, there was an uncomfortable silence. "He wants to talk about Cedric."
"What about him?"
"Will you just come out already?" Sofia turned, and was met with Cedric shaking his head furiously.
"We do need to get out of here somehow." Sofia whispered rather loudly toward the bed, so that perhaps Wes on the other side couldn't hear them.
"Just what are you suggesting?"
"We could… I could talk with Birk, and you could use the distraction to get out of this cottage." Lips pursed and brows furrowed, he was not a fan of this idea. Not a fan at all. "I'll distract them, then you can slip out and meet me past the stream that runs through town."
"I object to this, Sofia, with every ounce in me."
From beyond the wall Westin called out, "I get it Sofia. You're worried about him. But you don't need to be. There's no way I'd let anyone hurt him, not even Uncle. You must know that."
She found herself nodding, and walking back to Cedric handed him the wand, which he begrudgingly accepted. "You're serious? Last night you were panicked to hasten our escape, now this?"
"Well, I can't think of another way to get you out of here. If Papa did decide to turn you over, I know Wes would help us escape."
Cedric rolled his eyes emphatically, then groaned with feigned acceptance. Spell disbanded, the lock clicked open. Wes stood there, at the entranceway, staring at his feet. "Can I come in, Sir?"
Perhaps he'd learned his lesson about barging in. Cedric looked at the wall, re-crossing his arms. "Where's Papa?" Sofia inquired.
"He's just outside, among the injured we've brought back from the battle."
The commotion in the village had died down considerably from the night prior. Sofia rose, taking a step forward before Cedric yanked her backward slightly. Half a wary smile, and he tried to set the wand in her hand. "Keep it, just in case." She leaned back, whispering so Westin couldn't hear. "Beyond the stream, in 20 minutes."
Despite the poignant danger, he burst out in that goofy grin. Unnerving, she dwelled on it as she brushed past Westin, now standing guard over the sorcerer. Perhaps Cedric really was going to get what he wanted after all. To run away with his princess.
Birk was as described, sitting on a rock just outside the cottage, sharpening a javeline-esque weapon and staring off into space. "Papa?"
He stopped the long grinding motion, setting the weapon a fair distance away and patted the stone beside him, which Sofia begrudgingly sat down upon. There were still a fair share of people mulling about, and worse, there were many injured. Guilt swelled up in her, that she might abandon these wounded just to save Cedric.
"Sofia, I need you to be honest with me."
Her head snapped around to look at him, "Honest with you?! Will you be honest with me?!"
"I was. You never asked what my intentions toward your mother were."
She grit her teeth. "True, but that doesn't make it right."
Solemnly he stared at the ground. "I know it. Sofia, I want you to believe me, that I weight the morality of each decision I make heavily." She tried to respond, but he cut her off. "However, no matter how much I many want your good opinion of me, right now I need to do what is best for my people."
Uh-oh. She started to shrink back toward the cottage, to warn Cedric, but Birk stopped her. "Sofia, this Cedric is a perplexing man. Westin thinks the very best of him, Rolland the very worst. I am no fan of Rolland, but If I am to stake the future of this kingdom on this 'Cedric's' life, I need to know Sofia, which is correct?"
It was the very question she'd been grappling with for weeks. Was Cedric a good man who occasionally devolved into doing bad deeds, or an intrinsically bad man who sometimes rose above his nature to do good.
"I… don't know Papa." Looking his straight in the eyes, she expected to see disappointment or disgust that she'd beg for his life despite the moral ambiguity. She saw neither. Only kind, understanding eyes stared back at her.
"I assumed as much by your responses yesterday, but had to ask." Birk turned to look over the many wounded gathered. "Sofia, I am a man who feels responsible for his people, and right now my people have many problems that could be aided greatly by a talented sorcerer, such as him." Birk turned back, a smile on his face. "I will afford him this test, that I might judge the merit of this man's character through my own eyes. If he is more valuable than Rolland's foreign soldiers, I will offer him asylum."
Sofia didn't know whether to celebrate or panic. "But… why? Because of me?"
Birk nodded. "In part. You have a good moral compass. I've seen it many times now, and if you think he is worthy of salvation, it merits entertaining the idea. After all," Birk turned to look directly at her. "There are many reasons for me not to accept Rolland's help if I can avoid it. I know you'll view it as my own personal bias, and I don't deny that. But, you must also realize that our people no longer trust royalty, in any form. They believe that royals the world over were complicit in our enslavement, and forming an alliance with your stepfather would alienate a large portion of our people. I might lose control, and would need Rolland's aide to restore order, and that would be no different than Aaron filling our home with Maldonian soldiers, would it?"
Sofia hadn't even stopped to contemplate that. But the way those peasants had acted around Rolland last night, indeed the way Lucinda and Jade had acted at the harvest ball, gave every indication that what Birk just surmised was a highly plausible outcome. Slowly she nodded.
"And while I know what Rolland's soldiers are capable of, there are potentially no limits to what a sorcerer with proper motivation can do. Is that honest enough for you?"
It was. But there was no telling how Cedric would react to a test, given his history with high pressure situations. "But Papa, you have to know something, he gets nervous when stressed and it affects his magic so maybe I could just be there and help him, a little? To steady his nerves." Decision-making more like, but she couldn't well tell him that.
"No." Birk raised up a hand. "I hear what you are saying, Sofia, and so I will not inform him this is a test. Rather, I wish to see how he reacts to the suffering all around us. On this note, you will not inform him of who I am, nor will you coach him in the appropriate responses. A good man will be a good man, no matter who requests his aid."
Panic. That was the right response. Birk launched into a full throated chortle, the kind she'd worried he'd never make around her again. "I see that you are worried, and I've been thinking. You were right, Sofia, it was selfish of me to force you to stay behind yesterday, and to avoid telling you my motivations in the hopes you and your mother would return to me without question, now that I am Rolland's equal. However, you are an adult now, in the eyes of my people as well as my own. I ask that you heal the wounded while I evaluate him, and when I decide I shall inform you, one adult to another."
Birk rose, heading toward the cottage. "Wait!" Sofia called out, halting her father.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry. For what I said in the clearing. I meant what I said, but I shouldn't have done that in front of all those people."
"It was nothing I didn't deserve. You were right, I put my own needs ahead of my people. I may still do it, although I will try to avoid it. No man is perfect, after all." That was something Sofia could live with. Every day she grew more comfortable in the grey spaces of morality. "Now, to see if this man was a victim of circumstance or guided by malicious intent. I hope, for all our sakes, that he is indeed a man of principle, and that Rolland's malcontent was the root of his actions."
He'd obviously been contemplating her pleas for Cedric's life all night, no doubt aided by Westin's appeals. Simply affording her sorcerer the chance to redeem himself was more than most would grant someone who admitted to such crimes as Cedric's.
"Thank you."
A genuine smile softened Birk's worn features. He spoke not, but continued on his way.
Lucinda was upon her in seconds flat, arms flung around her. Sofia let out a stunted sigh of relief, clinging to Lucinda's arm. "I'm really glad that you're safe friend."
"Are you kidding? It takes more than a few cannons, gigantic rocks shattering, hordes of soldiers, impenetrable enemy lines… where was I going with this? Oh yeah, it takes more than the whole Maldonian army to stop a witch on the warpath!" As her friend broke out in slight giggles, waving her wand to and fro. Sofia wanted to celebrate with her well-meaning friend, but instead stared worriedly at the cottage, which Birk had entered.
Oh NO.
What if Cedric bolted to their meeting place when Birk was 'evaluating' him. Sofia took off toward the cottage, but was too late. Westin emerged, followed by an irate Cedric hobbling a bit, sticking his nose in the air and keeping his robes to himself. Lastly Birk exited, his good-natured smile directing Cedric toward the injured by the stream. In a terrible mood, Cedric scanned the village over, muttered something as he hobbled along, and Birk began bellowing with laughter. "What's the matter friend?" Lucinda was upon her.
"I'm worried. About Cedric." The sorcerer was still looking for her among the wounded throngs.
"Nah, don't be. Westin's right there with them, and you're always going on about how ah-mazing Cedric's magic is, it'll be fine. Who needs Rolland anyway when we've got wand-power." Lucinda said it with such a confident air, waving her wand back and forth, hand planted on her jutting out hip defiantly. The air was sucked from between them as Sofia stared blankly at the taller girl. Wand dropped, and posture normalized, Lucinda cringed a bit in embarrassment. "Uh, I mean, I heard about last night, and well, you did reject Rolland, twice now. You don't still think of him as family, do you?" She nodded. "Oops. Nice job Luci, open mouth insert broom handle. Sorry friend."
"It's okay." Sofia managed back, not truly angry at her friend, but rather conflicted in how she viewed either man she'd called father. "It's my own fault. All of this is." Lucinda sighed, leaning on her much shorter friend.
"Feeling down, huh? I know what'll cheer you up!" Sofia was still staring after Cedric, who was several dozen meters away, flanked by her cousin and father as they described the injuries to a peasant sprawled before them.
"Unless you'll let me go help Cedric I'm not sure anything will 'cheer me up' right now friend."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that." Lucinda almost squealed, a great mischievous grin growing on her face as she pulled Sofia farther from Cedric.
As Lucinda yanked her round people sleeping and the aforementioned injured, Sofia couldn't help but notice that no one seemed to be on high alert, as would be expected if they were planning to subdue a sorcerer with a wand. Maybe she had been worried about nothing after all.
"Here we are." Giddy, Lucinda gently pushed Sofia forward. A few awkward stumbles, and she landed in the arms of some wounded man.
"I'm so sorry! She—" It was the young man from Mazida. He broke out in a blush, clinging to her shoulders. Awkwardly she lurched back a bit, turning toward Cedric's direction and, true to form, he'd finally spotted her. Birk was gesturing toward some buildings with structural damage, and Westin was staring at the ground, but that sorcerer had zeroed in on her, quite literally in this young man's lap. Embarrassed, Sofia gritted out, "Lucinda."
"Pay no attention to the disgruntled princess, she's just a bit worried about her mentor over there." The witch brushed Sofia's hair back into place, and grinning whilst on her tip toes, leaned over them to excuse herself. "Enjoy."
Sofia feigned a laugh to break the awkwardness, and the man just sat there, legs stuck out and smiling. "I'm so sorry, she pushed me into you. So, um, what was your name?" He managed to stammer out something, but Sofia had turned to look back at Cedric, who seemed to be self-soothing by rocking back and forth noticeably, completely ignoring Birk. Not good. She needed to get over there.
"Roll?"
Sofia turned to see the young man offering her a moldy piece of bread. He had a rather pleasing voice, this being the first time Sofia had heard it. He held out the bread like a treasured possession. Repulsed, she tried to decline as politely as possible. "No thanks, I'm not that hungry." True to form, her ill-timed stomach growled, and the young man's confidence took a decided blow. "So, um, I thought you weren't part of the resistance. At least, when we met outside Mazida your father didn't want to help. Did something change?" He broke out in a huge blush.
"Yeah. Ouch."
Sofia immediately retracted her hand from the man's leg. Oops. He was injured. Not that his countenance showed it, but there was a sizeable gash along his thigh. Sofia had almost fallen onto it. "Oh my! Here let me help you." She had no wand, but grabbed some bandages nearby. A quick glance up, and Cedric was just staring after her, completely oblivious that Westin had joined Birk in trying to redirect his attentions to the injured surrounding them.
"Thanks." This poor man had begun noticeably sweating amidst the halted speech. "You asked. Why I joined. Well… You see, I met this, incredible, beautiful lady."
"That's nice." Sofia turned away, trying to signal Cedric with her eyes that Birk was growing impatient by flinging her head upward toward where Birk stood unhappy, hands on his hips and shaking his head. "Please don't blow it." She murmured.
"Um, blow it? I'm sorry." Sofia whipped around, regretting that she'd been ignoring the man before her.
"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't talking about you. It's like Lucinda said, I'm really worried about him."
"Who, is he?" The young man looked toward the spot where Cedric's seemed to be manifesting anger. What could Birk have said that produced that reaction. Fear, yes, but anger?
"He…" Oh man. "His name is Cedric, and he's my, well he's special, to me." The young man's eyes sank, smile dimmed. That was weird.
"Oh."
Huh? Now bandaged, Sofia stood and brushed off her dress. "I, um, really need to go. It was nice meeting you again." Before he could object Sofia was off, rounding her way behind the rocks that lined the swiftly moving stream. Both Birk and Westin had turned to look at the opposite side of town. Their backs to Cedric, the sorcerer bolted, dragging his injured leg as fast as he could without drawing suspicion. Sofia flung her hands up, trying to get him to stop. It confused the man, and he paused by the river's edge. Just then, her cousin Mary came bounding by with a few other small children. They had little sticks in their hands; their smoldering ends were the sole reminder of the festivities from the night prior. Up on the rocks they jumped, one boy colliding with Cedric's arm. He turned to the whelp, ready to impart an earful of unhappiness. In response the boy stepped backward on the stone, knocking little Mary sideways into the air.
The small girl screamed, and the entire village turned to witness Mary falling into the rushing water.
Cedric reacted, without time to think or conjure he went straight down to his knees, plunging a hand into the frigid water and grabbing the girl by her collar. With a great heave he pulled her up and over the rocks that lined the river.
Sofia stopped dead in her tracks. The entire clearing full of wounded, including Birk and Westin, just witnessed it and also froze. Mary was doused from head to toe, but finally coughed and started crying. A great sigh of relief rang out as Birk came running over. Cedric released the girl's collar, letting the young one hobble off toward home sobbing "momma!" Birk intercepted the girl, making sure she was alright and tossing his overcoat onto her before Nelly came bounding out of the cottage, wrapping the girl in her embrace then dolling out a heaping helping of finger shaking and stern words to her older children.
Cedric, though, had landed on his injured knee, and was wincing in pain on the ground beside the stream. Birk's warning to stay away didn't matter anymore, Sofia was at his side and helping him up as best she could. He began to bat her away until he realized whom exactly was steadying him.
"Finally done canoodling, are you?" He whispered breathlessly.
She couldn't respond, just smile at him, much as those in the clearing were doing. His arm was draped over her shoulder to support his meager weight. Unsure to let her touch him, he tried to pull away, before noticing that everyone was staring at him. "Sofia, can I use the wand now?"
"Shhh, or they'll hear you." She whispered back.
"You saved my daughter." Nelly had come up, Birk behind her with a hand stroking the girl's hair. The child had planted her face into her mother's shoulder, continuing the waterworks.
Slightly embarrassed, Cedric looked around, "Well I, suppose, that's one way to see it." He coughed nervously, omitting that he'd been in the process of running from these people when it happened, and that he'd started the chain reaction that led to it.
That didn't seem to matter though. A great, proud grin grew on Birk's face. "It is the only way to see it." His happy façade birthed a slight hope in Sofia. With that Birk left, helping his sister back toward the cottage.
"Sofia, I'm not entirely sure what just happened. Care to fill me in on the details?"
She could barely stop staring up at him to speak. Here he was, ignoring his personal pain to help a little girl he didn't even know. All the confliction she'd been fraught with simply evaporated. She wanted nothing more than to bury him in kisses, but it would have to wait. Westin was less than a foot from them, asking questions.
"Cedric, Sir, are you okay? Can I get you something for your knee?" Cedric simply grimaced.
"Wes, can you get the bottle of horntail shavings from his room and new bandages. Please."
"Horn-what?"
"It looks like little brown and green shavings in a long, thin vial."
He nodded, and was off, leaving them alone. "I'm still not sure what just happened." A perplexed Cedric mused.
"You saved my cousin from drowning." Sofia pulled on his robe to bring his body closer to hers, if only slightly, while running her head along the side of his chest. Unfortunately, what should have produced a markedly pleasant response from the man instead resulted in him shying away.
"I suppose I did. Honestly, though, I didn't think about it. Child in water, grab child. It wasn't really that difficult and there was very little risk to me." He looked at his arm, now hanging limp over her shoulder. "Sofia, is it, okay, for me to touch you like this?"
"Of course it's okay!" She pulled him close enough that she might stick her face into his robe had he turned a bit. "What you did, Cedric, was wonderful. There's no other way to describe it."
"It… was?"
"Yeah." Summoning some courage, he finally managed to look down at her, and smile ever so slightly, if uncomfortably.
Defying convention and the propriety in which she was raised, she let her head fall back, taking in his scent and the sunshine that had finally broken through the clouds.
"You're a good man."
Down, to his core, he just had to be decent. No creature with evil inside would ignore their own personal pain to help someone else.
When she finally reopened her eyes, the rejection of the past night had melted from his face, replaced by a jubilant sorcerer eager to please. "Do you really, mean that, Sofia?"
She nodded, and that goofy grin spread wide across his face. "Of course, but you don't have to take my word for it. Birk was just waiting to see you do something amazing like that."
"Birk you say? Sofia which one is your father? It can't be that lad you were fondling earlier, he was much too young."
"Fondling? No Cedric, he's…"
"Ugh, here he comes again." Cedric had cut her off as Birk was on approach from the cottage, a long sturdy walking stick in his hand. "This one Sofia, he simply won't stop talking about all manner of needless nonsense, but I can't seem to shake him either. I might have to stun him when we-"
Birk reigned a genuine smile down at his daughter, then turned to Cedric, who was a bit taller than him. "Sir, I thought you might need this, to aid in your walking."
After rolling his eyes Cedric groaned a bit, then let go of Sofia's shoulders to take the stick. "Oh yes, simply delightful, I've never felt older. Now, if you don't mind, I'd rather tend to, what was it again?"
"Helping to heal these wounded people. At least, that's what we were discussing before my niece fell into the river."
Sofia stared up at Cedric, hoping he'd catch the clue. He did not. "Yes, then, healing these people and all. An audience is unnecessary. Off with you then, off." He began sweeping motions as if he could shoo Birk away. Cedric caught sight of Sofia's mouth hanging open in disbelief, and stared incredulously at her reaction. "Sofia, you look dreadful. Have you taken ill? Or did you attempt to consume that sludge your aunt considers 'food'?"
Birk practically beat the ground laughing. "That's Nelly alright. Give her a chance and that woman can burn water." After a bit he sobered up, "Though she won't be getting the chance for very much longer."
Food. She hadn't seen anything that resembled edible in Friezenburg. That's when it hit her, the rations. Or rather, with Aaron deposed the rations from Maldonia were sure to end. She reached up, pulling on the collar of Cedric's robe slightly and catching him in her sights. If this didn't seal the deal for his amnesty, nothing would. But how to do it without Birk becoming suspicious that she was coaching him? "No Cedric, I haven't eaten in so long." Practically pouting up at him, Cedric's brows furrowed.
"Now see here Sofia, you aren't purposefully avoiding sustenance again, because we discussed this." Birk was suddenly concerned. Instead of devolving into a discussion about her eating habits, she tried the less-subtle approach. "No, it's not that at all. I'm really hungry and want to eat, but I just couldn't stomach the moldy roll I saw earlier."
It was almost comical to see the light wash over him as she tugged at his robe harder. "Yes, YES I can do something about that. Let's see, fruit, decidedly. Strawberries, and perhaps a whole assortment to accompany them. Strawberries are your favorite, yes? Of course they are!" She smiled, tossing a glance at Birk who was intently watching this. Cedric was still on trial, and about to be acquitted.
Wand raised, he bellowed a long, complicated spell, aiming for a patch of unoccupied earth. Up sprang long runners throughout the clearing, that erupted with gigantic strawberries. 'Oohs' and 'aaahs' echoed in chorus as those gathered started indulging on the red bounty. Cedric's incanted food offerings were never 'delicious', but everything relative to gruel is a decided improvement.
The look on Birk's face as food multiplied throughout the village spoke volumes. Cedric would be safe here, so long as he kept Friezenburg fed. A runner spiraled up to Sofia, then blossomed into a strawberry the size of her head. Coyly Cedric reached out, plucking it from the vine, then bashfully handed it to her.
As she bit into the gift Birk smiled, slowly walking away and leaving them to their own devices. "Is it, to your liking Sofia?"
"It's perfect Cedric. Just look how happy everyone is."
Gazing out at the crowd, he scrunched up his nose. "I daresay I was hoping for a bit more appreciation, but I suppose, considering their injuries, it's understandable."
She turned from the berry bounty, up toward him, smiling wide and for the first time in a very long time, felt relief. "You're right. They would be happier, if their injuries were healed."
One long, subtle groan, and the sorcerer rolled up his sleeves. With each patient they treated, her spirits rose. His assistant once more, bandages were soaked in spare ointments, spells cast, pains subsided. The relief among the peasants was palpable. She found herself staring at him, more and more. How handsome he looked tending the injured. How amazing of a man he could be, when aspiring to do good. Perhaps the capacity to do great good lay in every man, but not all held the proper motivation. There was even the faint hint of sweat along the collar of his shirt from all the effort he'd put forth.
Was this what the silver ball led her to? Not to Cedric, per se, but to his redemption? And through him, her own?
Perhaps. But he did overwhelm her with his kindness toward these people. Once initiated he could scarcely stop, feeding off the adoration each healed patient lavished on him.
Oops.
He'd caught a glimpse of her, lingering much too long and way too close to his neck. The elder man he'd been tending thanked Cedric kindly for the splint, and Cedric stood, limping away from the grateful hordes to the shade of a nearby, twisted tree, Sofia following behind. "So, they're fed and healed, as reasonably as I can accomplish in a morning. Can we, perhaps, make a stealthy exit now? That chaperone is nowhere in sight."
Just then Cedric lurched forward, slapped on the shoulder from behind by Birk. "Leaving so soon, sorcerer? I had hoped you'd stay. After all, protection from Rolland is a fair offer for your skills."
As Birk continued into the clearing, Cedric's head fell to the side. "Did he just, assault me, or compliment me?"
"Um, both? I think it's a custom here."
"What an odd sort of fellow he is."
"You didn't even ask his name, did you?"
"Sofia I spend my mental efforts on spells, not the names of hundreds of short peasants who all look the same."
"You mean look like me."
He really wasn't getting it. "I suppose he does, but honestly they all do to an extent…" panic set in. "N-n-not that you aren't unique and beautiful and p-p-perfectly sized and, oh, OH, Merlin's mushrooms."
She patted his head, which seemed to make it better for him. "Don't worry Cedric. I do look like him, because that's my Papa."
That's probably the closest Cedric ever came to looking like he'd swallowed a frog. "You mean him?" That finger was pointing wildly again as he connected the train of thought. "Your father is… THAT one." The poor man's eyes practically popped out. "Oh MERLIN, I practically ignored the man, and then I shooed him away. How could you let me do that?! Wait, does he mean to grant me amnesty then?"
"Uh-huh."
Birk gestured toward Cedric, who after looking side to side realized he was being summoned. A quick, adoring glance at her sorcerer, and Sofia pulled the reluctant man forward.
"I've seen enough." Birk bellowed. The clearing fell silent. "I declare this man, Cedric the Sensational, under the protection of the people of Friezenburg."
The crowd broke out into cheers. Jubilant, Sofia threw her arms around the sorcerer's neck, but he was whisked away, to the end of a long table. Sofia sat some ways down, next to Lucinda, while Cedric panicked in a seat of honor alongside her Papa. A great feast, by Friezenburg standards, was set out, Cedric helping with the menu's diversity, and the hordes indulged in true Friezenburg style. Every so often Cedric muttered something under his breath, and Axel, who was seated alongside the sorcerer, broke out laughing alongside Birk. Sofia's heart swelled to see her sorcerer finally appreciated for his gifts, though the man looked to be panicking internally. Perhaps only Sofia could tell how nervous he seemed.
"Hey, Sofia, are you in there?"
"Oops. Sorry friend."
"Will you relax already? Cedric's been cleared. Just look at that, Birk loves him." Lucinda chomped down on what resembled an orange watermelon, a banana squarely in her hand. "So stop wigging out already."
"Yeah. You're right."
"So, now that that's over, how'd it go?" Lucinda had leaned over, grinning a bit more than usual.
"With what?"
"Don't give me that 'shy princess' bit. You know very well what." More of the orange watermelon disappeared.
"No, I don't."
"Come on Sofia, the guy clearly digs you. He joined us because of you. So, are you gonna make a move on him?"
She practically dropped her freshly conjured orange juice onto her lap. Had all that love struck gazing at Cedric given her away?
"Me?"
"Yes YOU. He's obviously too shy to go for it."
She felt as though she'd turned red enough to match the pile of newly conjured tomatoes that lay before the girls. "But…"
"Girl no 'buts'. Just go for it!"
Clearly trying to be supportive, Lucinda was practically hopping in her seat. Embarrassed to a fault, Sofia quickly glanced around. No one seated near them seemed to care at all for their conversation, each wrapped up in their own lives. "But, I don't know how to."
"Eh? What are you talking about?"
"Trust me. I tried, and, it didn't go well. I think I hurt him, physically, and, maybe emotionally too? I just get nervous and… Lucinda, can I ask you something."
"Sure. Go nuts."
A quick glance at her handsome man at the end of the table steeled her resolve. He was bound to avoid initiating anything after the failure last night. "Um, what did you do to make Axel moan, when you two were in the bushes after the battle of Mazida?" Lucinda spat a watermelon chunk across the table. "Sorry friend! Small bites next time."
As quick as lightning Lucinda grabbed Sofia, yanking her from the table and dragging her several yards away, banana in hand. "Are you kidding? Over lunch you wanna discuss this."
"Well, you brought it up." Lucinda rolled her eyes and shook her head, that her shortened blueish hair waved back and forth. "Please Lucinda, I don't know what a man wants. Can't you just tell me what you did that made Axel so happy. That way, I'll know what to do."
That was a first. Lucinda actually blushed. "Promise you won't think less of me." Sofia nodded furiously, and the witch sighed. "Okay, well, men like it when you touch them, there."
"There?"
"There."
Oh. "But how do you do it right?"
The poor witch's eyes bulged out. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Please Lucinda, I need help."
"In more ways than one, apparently. Ugh, okay. Here's what you do." Lucinda started swaying her hips, channeling her inner temptress. "You've got to initiate, just enough so they won't be afraid of rejection, but not too much, or they'll be intimidated. Got it?"
"No."
The witch rolled her eyes. "I see I'm gonna have to spell this out for you. Okay Sofia, you wanna know what I did with Axel?"
"Yes Please!"
"You start by running your backside against their hips. They'll get the message. Then, get a little closer. Run your fingers inside his collar, kiss his neck. You'll drive him wild." Sofia stood there, engrossed at the vivid descriptions that Lucinda seemed to be fondly reminiscing on.
"And? Is that it?"
The taller girl broke out in giggles. "No, you're just getting started. He's gonna start in on you at this point, kissing and such. Don't let him completely take over, or he'll just go straight for the prize."
Her confused look made the witch burst out laughing. "Oh Sofia, you're so naïve it's funny. Look, tell him what you want, and he'll tell you what he wants, and trust me, most men want this."
The gesture Lucinda made with her lips and that banana she'd been holding broke whatever was left of Sofia's innocence. It disappeared, then reappeared again, intact, Lucinda grinning wildly. "Just make sure you don't use your teeth, and you can't fail."
Lucinda might have been laughing, it was hard to tell considering how stunned Sofia was. A slight punch to her side, and Lucinda was off. "You owe me a new hat for this, and you'd better tell me how it goes!"
Lunch over, carts were being loaded with extra provisions while Sofia stood, trying to process if Cedric might actually like what Lucinda had just suggested.
"Sofia?" It was Birk. She practically jumped out of her skin.
"Sorry Papa! I was… thinking."
"Well, you've plenty of time for that." He was wearing that good-natured grin again. "I've come to an important decision. You want to help our people, yes?" She nodded. "Then, can you and Cedric deliver provisions to the outlying towns? It would be easier to cart the sorcerer around than to cart all the goods he conjures to each place."
Cedric was standing near a cart, having just conjured several barrels, and noticing Sofia with Birk had stiffened into a nervous plank, wand gripped to his chest.
"You mean it Papa? You're not going to leave me behind?"
Solidly he set his hand upon her shoulder. "It is time, Sofia, for you to do good, for our people."
"Thank you Papa." She flung her arms up, hugging the man. "Thank you so much."
"Indeed. Now I go to face Rolland."
He turned, but Sofia reached out and grabbed his arm before he could go. "You're not going to trade me either, are you?"
"Your fate is yours to decide, Sofia. Just as Westin's was. I could never 'barter' you, or that sorcerer. The lives of our people were bartered away by the fallen king. Never again."
"You were never gonna hand Cedric over to Rolland, were you?"
He shrugged, then turned to leave. Sofia wandered over to Cedric, helping him mount a cart. "You know, Sofia, I'm not entirely sure, but I do believe I might, possibly, stand an infinitesimally small chance of winning over the man."
"I know you can."
They set off toward the capital, provisions and wand in tow, to assist in the rebuilding of the fallen city. But beyond, on a hilltop not that far from the capital, a king of men waits for unsettling news. There was no way that Rolland was going to be pleased about this development, but what would he do? Forsake Friezenburg and return home? Put his personal feelings aside and aid Birk? Or, perhaps, turn against the rebellion, to reclaim his daughter and the fallen sorcerer by force.