Trouble in Paradise
Summary: The Mystic Isles Protectors have fallen victim to chaos, thanks to an evil entity called Necazuri. Cedric and Sofia join Butterford to stop her, but while on their mission, the sorcerer is plagued with off-putting visions and Necazuri's taunting voice in the back of his mind, causing him to question everything and everyone around him, even Sofia. (Takes place 3.5 years after my Season 5 stories, and most notably after the events of The Tainted Ten)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First. I do own Charlie and Serena (both mentioned), Butterford, Muscles, Ira (mentioned), the AutoCoach, and Necazuri. Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X.
A/N: Just so you know, without Mr. Shortman92, this story wouldn't exist. I sometimes toss around ideas randomly for fun, and he's the one to go, "Wait, but you actually could make this into a story. Look at this…" And from there, it's off. 😊 So huge thanks to him for that. Meanwhile, this will be written over a span of a few weeks since I'm about to go on vacation with my family, and then I'll have training for school-related subject matter coming up soon. So I'll post when I can. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Just Another Monday
It was Monday. The skies were clear and a lovely shade of blue, and there was the lightest breeze brushing across the Kingdom of Enchancia. Six months had passed since the incident with the Tainted Ten, and for all intents and purposes, things for many involved were slowly starting to go back to some version of normal. Of course, time would be of the essence in regard to healing scars and emotional wounds, but… The lazy days with routines and expected procedures had certainly helped. And of course, so had a bit of humor from none other than the former royal steward's brother…
"…And then, as I told Wicky here, there's a reason they're called ruins—and he needed to withhold the urge to dust the entire place," Nigel explained with lilted humor as he could tell he had the full attention of none other than Cedric and Sofia, who were sitting across from him and Baileywick, both of them laughing at his theatric retelling of a trip they'd taken together recently.
"I'll have everyone present know that I did not, in fact, attempt to clean any ancient ruins," Baileywick remarked diplomatically, folding his arms as his brother elbowed him playfully. "Nigel is just being facetious."
"Ah-ah. Funny, Baileywick. I'm funny. Even your sweet Violet agrees." He grinned as the other man shot him a pointed look. "No worries, brother. Don't forget: my own little delectable darling Cordelia is far more my pace than your lovely stewardess."
Cedric winced and drew back a bit. "Nigel, please don't ever use my sister's name and 'delectable' in the same sentence again—at least not while I'm around." He shook his head, trying to will away some of the horrifying mental images those descriptives had caused.
Sofia laughed as she squeezed Cedric's hand before leaning against his shoulder, her smile fading a bit as she sighed. Nana and Tanya were both in the Mystic Isles right now, currently on a mission under the supervision of their trainer Ira and her own former trainer Chrysta. They'd been gone three days already, and while she and Cedric had both agreed to it initially, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. Sure, many missions were difficult, but it was different since these were their own daughters…
"Baileywick!" Violet called as she stepped into the room. She smiled as her love stood, their gaze locking momentarily. "Could you help me with something please? And Nigel, Ms. Cordelia was looking for you earlier. You'd better go see her." She held out her hand to Baileywick, entwining their fingers together as she led him away.
"Oops, I hope I didn't do something silly again, like mixing up our undergarments." Hearing a disgusted sound from Cedric, he grinned. "Don't knock it till you try it, Cedric. Women's unmentionables are quite silky sometimes. Helps the skin breathe and all that. Well, toodles!" He hurried off, leaving the couple behind.
"I still can't believe he's my brother-in-law," Cedric admitted, raking his free hand through his hair. "I don't know what Cordy sees in him, but I also don't know what he sees in her either, so…" He frowned, turning to see that his wife seemed a bit distracted. "Er, Sofia?" Seeing that he had her attention, he lifted his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her instead. "Are you all right?"
"I want to say 'yes' so I don't worry you," she told him honestly, frowning as he pressed his forehead to hers as a way of giving her his full attention. "But… I have a weird feeling… I can't explain it, but I just feel like something is wrong, and I'm worried about Nana and Tanya." She caught his eye and sighed. "Do you feel it too?"
He moved back, nodding. "I feel it a bit more now that you mentioned it. I even had a strange dream about them in danger last night, but I figured that was all it was: just a dream." He laughed somewhat bitterly as Sofia folded her arms. "I suppose I should know better by now." He glanced down toward her. "We could travel to the isles and check on them if you'd like, just to ease our worries. Cordelia can watch Serena and Charlie after they finish their magic lessons with Calista."
"I feel bad that we always seem to have to leave the kids behind, but… I don't want to subject them to any danger if I can help it." She rubbed one of her arms as she continued, "I know with Nana and Tanya, things are a bit different due to their powers and backgrounds, but with Serena and Charlie…"
"They're still young," the sorcerer finished for her. "They'll understand one day—all that we go through to keep them and the rest of the kingdom or realm protected. And it's not like we're gone all the time."
"I know. I just feel a little guilty sometimes…" She smiled up at him as he hugged her, and she swiftly returned the hug. "But I'd rather feel guilty than worry about their safety the whole time, so thank goodness for our family always helping us, right?"
"Absolutely. Now come on." He released her and stood, taking her hand. "We'll take the AutoCoach and get there a bit quicker."
"Cedric…" Sofia stopped him from moving as she held his hand a bit more firmly, and her face was filled with something akin to regret. "I… I also wanted to apologize to you…" Seeing the confused expression on his features, she explained, "Ever since the situation with the Tainted Ten several months ago, I know I've been a little…off. And I know I still have nightmares and 'bad feelings' more often than I normally would, but…"
Cedric pulled her in for another hug, simply holding her for several moments as she relaxed in his embrace. Eventually, he stepped back and took both of her hands. "Sofia, I don't blame you for any of that. It's not your fault what happened, and I'd honestly be more surprised if you weren't negatively impacted by all of that. It's going to take some time to heal from everything, and I'll be right by your side each step of the way."
The princess smiled warmly at him as she nodded. "I know… And even with all this, I kind of wish we could have just another Monday… A regular, normal, non-dangerous and non-dramatic day when we could spend time together, or with our family and friends, instead of always having to be on our guard."
Cedric pulled her closer, kissing her lovingly as she sighed happily. "Remember who you are, my love: a princess, a sorceress, and a mother to four amazing children… Being guarded, regardless of the circumstances, comes with the territory at this point. Of course, despite many hardships, things usually have a way of turning out all right in the end."
Sofia giggled, nodding as he brushed his hand through her loose hair, tugging at some of the waves that slid around his fingers. "Thanks for cheering me up, Cedric."
"It's the least I can do, since you've done the same for me for so long now."
They gathered any necessary supplies and spoke with Cordelia and Sofia's parents before heading to the AutoCoach. Soon, they were off to the Mystic Isles, that feeling of uncertainty never quite leaving either of them as they soared through the familiar skies once more.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Unhinged