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: So I messed up a part in the previous chapters, and thanks to Ally, I went back and adjusted some things to make more sense. First of all, this story actually takes place AFTER my story "Beauty," and it's 3.5 years after the end of my season 5 stories, whereas "Beauty" is only 3 years later. Yes, Butterford's hands have been mostly healed, and he has the rose tattoos on his hands by this point, but I wrote in the previous chapter that he was wearing his gloves. Y'all, I'm tired. I was NOT paying attention to that detail, and I think I ended up confusing some people. So to rectify that problem, I came up with a sweet scene in this chapter! Sometimes mistakes end up working out in our favor. ;) Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Spelling Error

Sofia's amulet was an invaluable tool for the trio, as it led them straight to their destination with no issues. Of course, it couldn't exactly stave off the strange tension in the AutoCoach, but at least it was good for something. Once the vehicle had landed, the passengers exited, only to find the area before them coated in a strange pink haze.

"Do you think this is dangerous?" Butterford asked the other two as he held one sleeved arm up to his nose, just in case.

"No," Cedric responded confidently. "It just seems to be a unique atmospheric phenomenon. If it could harm us, it would have done so already." He reached out to Sofia, gently guiding her to his side, his right hand resting against her hip. "Just stay close. We don't know what might lie beyond that haze, and we are at a disadvantage due to our lack of knowledge of this place." His eyes lowered as he noticed Sofia reach out to Butterford, taking his gloved hand in hers. However, he chose not to say anything about this, simply because he assumed this was a security measure, given the circumstances.

Sofia turned a bit, facing Butterford more squarely. She lifted their clasped hands, realization dawning on her for the first time since they'd left the Mystic Isles. "Jas, why are you still wearing your gloves? I thought your rose tattoos were protecting your hands now."

"Th-They are," he responded a bit shyly, sighing. "And I know it's been several months since I received them, but… The gloves have been a part of my life for years now, you know? It's hard to let go of something that I've come to rely on like a security blanket, as sick as it is to say…" After all, he only had the gloves because his father had tortured him when he was younger, ruining his beautiful hands that had masterfully played the piano, due to his anger toward his son. Anger for what? His lifestyle? His never-ending optimism, despite his hellish life after his mother's death? His uncanny similar features to Lucienne, his mother? Or perhaps all of the above…

The princess gently tapped on the fabric covering Butterford's hands, smiling warmly at him as his aquamarine gaze landed on her once again. "Can I…?" She gently tugged at part of one of the gloves, indicating her request a little more clearly. Seeing him hesitantly nod, she linked their fingers together, grasping the familiar fabric, and she slowly tugged the gloves from his hands, pocketing them for the time being. Then, she lifted her hands to his again, the pads of her fingers ever so lightly caressing each scar, each healed injury, and the vines and petals of the magical tattoos etched into his skin.

"I know… Even with the flowers, my hands are still ugly to look at," Butterford lamented, sounding a bit disheartened, even though his friend was being so delicate and kind in her touches.

"Your hands are not ugly, Jas," Sofia insisted, deliberately brushing her fingers over the vine covering part of his index finger's exposed bone, smiling when he gasped in mild surprise from the contact. She assumed it wasn't often that such a thing happened. "They're just as beautiful as the rest of you."

Cedric had watched the entire scene unfold, but unlike in the AutoCoach, he didn't feel the slightest bit of jealousy this time. Instead, he was glad his wife could comfort her friend in a rather unique manner. However, that began to change after he watched the very next exchange.

"Thank you, Sofia," Butterford whispered, carefully flexing his fingers against hers, his thumb stroking hers. "You're so sweet, and I'm not sure how I got this lucky, but…" He smiled gently at her. "I'm grateful."

While he could appreciate the sentimental exchange between two friends, Cedric would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't experiencing a bit more jealousy, especially watching how they were interacting. The strange dream he'd had flashed in his memory, causing him to clear his throat, getting their attention. "Well, then… We'd best be moving. They're counting on us."

The other two agreed, and they separated long enough for Cedric to grasp Sofia's hand in his, both protectively and pleadingly, almost, as if asking her to comfort his weary mind. To his relief, she squeezed his hand in response and walked confidently beside him as they moved along.

For over an hour, they'd walked around the strange land, Sofia's amulet guiding them the whole way. Of course, at one point, they grew tired and stopped to rest for a bit in a forest clearing. The pink haze from the start of the land was actually much denser here, however, so it was harder to see more than a few feet ahead of them, making for a dangerous scenario. While Sofia and Butterford decided to recline against a tree, Cedric was a bit more cautious, his ears straining to hear anything beyond the haze.

The sorcerer frowned heavily when he heard some shuffling. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sofia wondered, reaching up to rub her left shoulder. "Ah…"

"Something beyond the clearing," her husband responded, brown eyes narrowed in defense. "I'm going to check it out. Wait here." He withdrew his wand and slipped away from the duo, disappearing into the haze just as Sofia called out for him to be careful.

"Is he okay?" the Guardian asked a few moments later, watching as Sofia continued trying to rub her shoulder. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and brushed her hand away, taking over the task himself, much to her relief. "He seems like he's jealous or something, which is kind of absurd to me."

Sofia sighed, nodding. "I know. I can kind of understand why he'd feel that way though. Jas, for years, I was the only one who ever gave him a chance to be better than he was. I praised his magic when everyone else either didn't care or criticized it. I literally held his hand and pulled him up when he was down…" She smiled thoughtfully as a blush rose to her cheeks. "We went from being friends, to equals as partners, and then romantically connected. And now we're married, with four children… He's told me before that he still finds it hard to believe that we're actually together and that it's not all a dream."

He laughed as he continued rubbing her shoulder. "In a way, I can understand that. You sometimes look around and wonder, 'Is this real? How did I even get here? Am I allowed to be this happy?'" He lowered his hand as she stretched a bit and turned to face him, a lazy smile on her lips. "But then I remind myself that yes, it's real, and yes, I'm allowed to be happy. I got here because of many reasons, but just like with Cedric… My happiness is because of you."

She blinked. "Me?"

"Oh, absolutely. You're like our lucky charm, Sofia. You make everyone's life better." Using his ungloved hand, he gently stroked her cheek, making her smile. "You gave me a second chance after the events of everything on the galleon, after losing Hopscotch, and even a few years ago…with that incident…" Seeing her nod, avoiding the topic, he rested his hand on her cheek instead. "Whether it was life after being a crewman, the only one who didn't meet some sort of desolate fate, or even after being revived from death itself, I know not to take anything for granted. You helped make that possible, Sofia… I'm sure Cedric feels the same way: you're an angel among us all."

The princess blushed modestly as her friend lowered his hand. "Thank you, Jas…" She moved a little closer to him, leaning against his shoulder, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her. "I hope Cedric isn't gone too long… I'm ready to be done with this. And I hope they found Nana and Tanya. I don't want to think of my girls fighting each other like that…"

"I'm sure they did," he assured her. "We'll be back before long anyway, so I wouldn't worry if I were you. Besides… I think Nana and Tanya are a bit stronger than most of us anyway. Something tells me that their influence from the Never Realm might just neutralize things for them…"

"I don't know, Jas… But I guess we'll find out."

Meanwhile, Cedric hadn't gotten very far from where the other two were resting when he came across a much denser pink haze, and he realized he was surrounded on all sides. He turned in every which way, attempting to try to see through the thickness of the strange surrounding mist, but he was unable to do so. As he moved his head, he began to hear whispering…

"Does she really love you?"

"She's cherished by so many…"

"Even her Guardian is captivated by her…"

"Their hands were warm, skin caressing skin…"

"He would die for her… Would you do the same?"

"Could she favor him over you?"

Cedric forced his hands over his ears, attempting to block out the rasping whispering voice, but it was of little use. After all, the voice wasn't just external anymore—he could hear it in his mind, taunting and torturing him… A woman's voice, so persuading and cruel…

"Just imagine," the voice cooed in Cedric's mind, sounding closer than it had before. "You and your princess have been happily married for a long time now, and you have beautiful children together… But even now, a man whose romantic preference tends toward other men has admitted that he could fall in love with her… Why, you even dreamed of it, with their lovely little child calling out to both of them as her mother and…her father."

"Shut up!" Cedric snapped, dropping his hands to his sides, his eyes narrowing. "That wasn't real! Sofia and Jas would never do that to me…" He looked around, his hatred growing. "Who are you? How do you know so much about me?"

The woman's voice chuckled, sounding even closer than earlier. Her voice wasn't in his mind anymore. It was next to him, and he knew it. "Because I put those thoughts there, Cedric… I gave you that dream. You're so filled with insecurities that it wasn't hard to do so, and now…" A hand reached from behind the sorcerer, long nails carefully scratching down his jaw and neck. "Now, you'll be a good little sorcerer and do my bidding…" She disappeared briefly before materializing in front of Cedric, her strange pink eyes swirling as the man stared at her with his mouth agape, her hypnotism taking effect.

"W-Who are you?" Cedric managed just before he slipped under her spell entirely, staring blankly at the entity before him.

"Necazuri," she whispered seductively, smirking at his still form. "The one you were looking for, after all…" Necazuri stood a few inches taller than Cedric, her long light pink hair tied back into a swooping ponytail, with a few locks framing her face. She wore a tight black leather gown, trimmed in strange glowing pink lining, the bust of the dress tied together with white corset strips. Around her neck was a black choker, nestled just under her chin. She wore no shoes, but considering her feet rarely touched the forest floor, she didn't appear to need any. Additionally, an eerie pink and white outlining glow surrounded her body, proving very clearly that she was not a human. She leaned forward, whispering into Cedric's ear, "You're under my spell, little sorcerer… You will only break it when you realize the truth…" With that, she faded away, little more than a whisper on the breeze.

A few minutes later...

Cedric finally shook his head, still feeling a bit dazed as he held his hand to his temple. "W-Where am I?" He looked around, seeing that the haze had cleared a bit, and he was able to recognize the path he'd originally followed. "Oh… Right…" He awkwardly put his unused wand back into his robe, and then he stumbled forward, his head swimming a bit as he moved. It took him several minutes, but he finally made it back to where he'd started, and he was relieved to find Sofia and Butterford standing now, simply talking and laughing. "Sofia?"

"Cedric!" She turned, hurrying over to him, hugging him. "What took you so long?"

"I, um… I was just…" He had no idea why it had taken him so long. He didn't even really remember much of what had happened. Unfortunately, he also didn't remember meeting Necazuri. It was like that part of his memory was blurred or deleted. "I don't…know…"

Butterford frowned at his response, an uneasy feeling falling over him.

Sofia just smiled, caressing her husband's cheek, and then leaning up to kiss him. "Never mind," she told him sweetly. "What matters now is that we're back together. We all need to stick with each other so we can defeat this Necazuri person. That way we can solve this mystery and get back to our families. Okay?"

Cedric seemed to sober up a bit, nodding. "Right… Right, um… L-Let's go then…" He walked forward and stumbled a bit, uncertain why he was so uneasy on his feet all of a sudden. He blinked when he felt an arm wrap around him, holding him steady. Turning, he saw Butterford smiling at him. "Jas?"

"I've got you," he told him calmly. "Just hold onto me."

Despite his initial issues and concerns, he nodded. "Yeah… Okay…"

Sofia smiled and followed her husband and friend, enjoying the bit of peace they had for now.

Meanwhile, Necazuri stood at a distance, watching the group closely. "I can use the sorcerer as a last resort," she told herself, her nails raking through her long hair. "If I can't destroy Princess Sofia, I'll get her dearly beloved husband to do it for me…" Smirking, she vanished once more.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Confounded