Les Misérables
Summary: After studying about the dark past of surrounding kingdoms, Tanya asks Cedric and Sofia if any other kingdom ever had the same level of darkness. This leads to a very unexpected story, filled with despair, hope, severed and forged bonds, and preventable demise. Read Me a Story format! (Takes place 5 years after my season 5 stories)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First. I own Corban and some other OCs mentioned here. MarionetteJ2X owns Tanya and Nana.
Chapter 7: Zodian Upheaval
Nine years had passed since Roland took Amber away from the Wilkinsons. Understandably, they had lived miles away from Zodia, almost in hiding. While Roland had never fully explained the situation to Amber, she had a decent understanding that she was being protected. From what or whom? She had no idea.
Meanwhile, in Zodia, discourse had grown among the people in the past near decade. A leader who was affectionally called Master Merlin had been a prime supporter of the use of magic for natural-born magic wielders and practicing wielders. (Yes, he was the same Merlin who had considerately granted Roland his pardon many years ago.) Additionally, Master Merlin was heavily involved in his attempt to equalize the poverty-ridden and wealthy populations, sometimes overstepping his boundaries to do so. In fact, he'd been sentenced to death after accidentally murdering one of the high-ranking officials in Zodia during a mission to steal money from the government to help the poor. It was a case of a bad situation becoming far worse, and the odds were certainly not in the wizard's favor.
Despite the negative feelings toward the old man, Master Merlin had amassed a group of followers, all of whom supported his efforts with both magic and helping the poor. The leader of the group of followers was named Cedric, who worked closely with his friends Desmond, Greylock, and several others to carry on Master Merlin's efforts. Cedric was very serious and focused on his mission, always reminding his friends and colleagues why they were fighting and protesting: to help the poor, whom the government always overlooked, and to support the rights of magic wielders across the land.
Cedric came from a family of wealthy magic wielders, and he himself was a top sorcerer who graduated from a prestigious university some years ago. Most of his fellow followers of Master Merlin held a similar background, but Cedric stood out for his outspoken nature. He'd nearly been arrested several times, but there was something good about having money: he could buy his time and his freedom, which was something he recognized as a privilege. It was something he also hoped to pass along to the people for whom he was fighting someday.
Cedric's group of followers contained people from many different walks of life. One of his closest friends was a young man named Desmond. Desmond, while he didn't practice magic himself, supported the magic wielders and their efforts to help other people. He was a very intelligent guy, especially with his studies at the local university. One way he differed from Cedric was his dreamy and optimistic outlook on life. While Cedric was more down to earth and realistic (borderline pessimistic sometimes), Desmond was hopeful for a future of good things. Perhaps that was why Cedric was drawn to him, though: because he wanted to have hope for the future of his community, even if the government often made him frustrated and angry, with little belief that there would actually be any benefit from their efforts. However, Desmond kept him going daily, for which Cedric was very grateful.
Meanwhile, there were some familiar faces from the past around the streets of Zodia. The Wilkinsons were evicted from their inn several years ago when Nigel and Cordelia had swindled the wrong person: a high-ranking official. They now lived on the streets, leading a gang of ne'er-do-wells who were heavily involved in the practice of dark magic. While the couple had their own agenda, their daughter, Sofia, had grown distant from them over the years. With her good heart, she couldn't allow herself to go down the same path her parents had, and she instead focused more on something she'd learned from Desmond's friends while they spent time together: Light Magic.
Regarding Desmond, for Sofia, he was someone she considered her best friend. They had known each other since they were young, and they'd gotten close over the years. Sofia practically hung on Desmond's every word, because she found him interesting and endearing. Desmond adored Sofia, but not in the same way she adored him. Had the young girl had it her way, she would have ended up romantically connected with him. However, despite her efforts, the boy was clueless. How could someone so intelligent be so…unaware? He often called her a "sister," which dismayed her a little more each time. But she couldn't tell him that. Having any relationship with him was better than having nothing at all.
An unexpected connection with Cedric's group of "Master Merlin's followers" was a young boy named Corban. Corban was considered a street urchin, "adopted" by the followers, and he really looked up to Cedric. The boy was street smart and could outwit anyone, which delighted Cedric.
Master Merlin's followers were protesting in the streets, like they often did, while Cordelia and Nigel were up to no good, as always.
"Sir, please, do you have any change to spare?" Cordelia asked pitifully as she was dressed in nothing but rags, her hair limply hanging by her cheeks. She'd gotten good at perfecting her "old beggar" act by now, much to her husband's amusement as he smirked from nearby.
"Get a job," the man snapped, brushing past the woman.
Cordelia scoffed, subtly swiping the man's wallet from his coat pocket, unbeknownst to him. "This is my job, love." She snickered as Nigel hurried over to her, plucking the wallet from her hands. "Half is mine, Nigie. Don't forget."
"I could never, my darling," he cooed, taking some bills from the wallet and pushing it into the front of her dress, the money dangling from her cleavage in an enticing manner. "Mm, reminds me of that one night years ago, with the visitors from out of town…"
"We should really find them again," Cordelia suggested, leaning forward and kissing him deeply. She ripped her lips from the former innkeeper when she saw a few people approaching from the corner of her eye. "Mm, Nigel, look. Money bags approaching."
Unbeknownst to the couple, the duo approaching were actually Roland and an older Amber. Roland had returned to Zodia to manage some undisclosed business, and of course Amber had followed him, especially since he didn't want her to be left alone. He feared that something terrible would happen if they were separated for any length of time. Call it irrational thinking, or overprotective behavior, but he wasn't taking any chances. After all, he'd basically adopted Amber as his own daughter by now, and he didn't want anything to happen to her.
"Are you going to tell me why we're here now, Daddy?" Amber asked Roland gently as she took his arm. "I thought we were going on vacation… Not a business trip."
"I know, sweetheart," he responded kindly. "I just needed to take care of a few things before we can go on our trip. It shouldn't take very long—maybe a week or so. And I've secured us a place to stay outside of Zodia while we're here."
She sighed. A week? He'd promised her a vacation to a beautiful island for the last year, and she believed this was finally her chance to see the ocean for herself. Of course, he'd gotten into his secretive state and neglected to tell her what was really going on. He'd always kept to himself and avoided telling her anything he deemed 'too serious,' but it was honestly getting worrisome. What was he hiding? What did he not want her to know? He wasn't her real father, and she knew that, but she loved him like a father since he'd taken her away from those terrible Wilkinsons. Still… She just wished he'd open up to her and let her in on his mysterious past and life.
Roland's real mission dealt with Master Merlin himself. He'd heard of the man's dilemma, and being the one who possessed his prized wand, he wondered if he could perhaps help the man who'd literally given him his life back. He owed many debts, but this one was, perhaps, the most important. After all, Roland knew so little of magic and hadn't used it much himself, but he had to admire a man who utilized any form of magic for good. He knew Master Merlin had been arrested, but if he had access to his powerful wand, maybe he could save himself? It was probably foolish thinking, but he had to try…
"Evening!" Nigel croaked out with a lazy laugh as he and his wife approached the two blondes, bowing almost comically as he did so. "Would you happen to have any money to spare?" He stood up straight, dramatically holding one hand to Cordelia's 'magically' swollen belly. "My wife here is pregnant, and we need money for the baby."
Amber knew instantly who these two were, and she felt immensely uncomfortable being near them. She was grateful when Roland pushed her behind him, taking things in stride, like he always did. While Roland spoke to them, Amber turned, looking around. She remembered Zodia, of course, but she'd never seen it looking so…desolate. It was like the life had been drained out of the city.
She slipped away from her father and curiously moved through the streets, observing the protests, the signs, and the shouting figures in numerous crowds. She had no idea what they were ranting against, but it must have been serious. She gasped when she accidentally ran into someone, who thankfully caught her before she could fall. She lifted her eyes, apologizing, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Desmond, who happened to be Amber's 'rescuer,' responded quickly, "Oh, no, no, it's my fault! I was…" He got a good look at the girl before him and smiled somewhat dreamily, sighing. "I was…distracted."
Amber giggled, a sound that Desmond found charming. "How often do you walk around distracted?"
"According to my friends, too often…" He grinned sheepishly as she smiled. "Oh, I'm Desmond, by the way."
"I'm Amber."
Desmond nodded, carefully releasing her in case she grew uncomfortable. "I love that name… It's so pretty."
Amber blushed, something she hadn't often experienced in her life. Of course, it was rare for her to be around many other people besides Roland, who had insisted on schooling her himself rather than enrolling her in any proper schools. She was well-versed in literature, many languages, music, history, and more. But she'd never fully immersed herself in conversations with people other than her father. Especially really handsome young men with beautiful smiles, lovely hair, and perfect teeth… And she could listen to him talk and compliment her all night… "Th-Thank you, Desmond… I like your name too."
"Would you like to take a walk with me?" he asked kindly, immediately becoming self-conscious. "U-Unless it's too forward, and I know you probably would prefer to have a chaperone with you…"
"No, no," she responded quickly, grasping his hands, causing him to pause with wide eyes. "It's fine, Desmond. I'd love to take a walk with you…"
The young man grinned, thrilled at her response. "Awesome!" He linked arms with her, nodding down the alleyway. "Let's go then."
While the two young people were walking, they were being watched from different angles.
Cedric stared disapprovingly at his friend, who was making goo-goo eyes with the distraction (a term he coined young women who took the men's attention away from their goals). It wasn't that he didn't want Desmond to be happy, but he also played a pivotal role in the followers of Merlin. He could settle down with a nice girl a few years from now, if they were successful…and survived, of course.
And Sofia was watching from behind a pillar, her blue eyes lined with unshed tears as she saw the two blondes acting more like a couple than he'd ever attempted with her… She tugged at her long auburn braid, feeling upset that her best friend had never given her the time of day, and yet seemed more than willing to offer it to a newer, prettier girl… Somehow, she hadn't even recognized Amber, who had grown into a beautiful young woman, until she'd told Desmond her name. Once again, she was jealous that the other girl had gotten out of Zodia and had clearly thrived in a way she never would.
Across the way, Sofia noticed Cedric staring at the two as well, and she briefly made eye contact with him. She knew him from the meetings she'd followed Desmond to, and they'd had conversations in the past, but they'd never really gotten to know each other very well. However, right now, they seemed to be thinking the same thing, but for very different reasons: Desmond was a fool for pursuing this girl.
Roland finally managed to slip away from the pushy married couple when he heard a sharp gasp from Nigel.
"You!" The other man pointed his grimy finger toward the former mayor, narrowing his eyes. "I knew I recognized you! You ripped me off—buying that little wretch from me, but not paying near enough for the trouble my wife and I dealt with all those years. We demand money for our hardships!"
"Hardships?" Roland challenged. "You clearly spent the money on yourselves and didn't give a dime to someone you were supposed to look after. Her mother entrusted her to your care."
"Her mistake!" Cordelia argued loudly enough that she caught the attention of the last person Roland wanted to see.
"What's going on here?" Baileywick asked as he heard the disturbance, stepping over to the trio. He saw Roland lift his hand, blocking his face from view, and frowned at the action. "Is there a problem?"
"I'll say, Inspector," Nigel answered with a huff. "This man owes me money!"
Baileywick could hardly register the situation as he noticed Roland rush past him, nearly knocking him down, and approach a startled blonde young woman in the distance. He seemed to say something frantically to her, while she seemed to protest about being taken away from someone she'd only just met; however, he insisted and took her arm, hurriedly leading her in another direction. His eyes narrowing, he murmured, "It can't be…" But nine years had passed, and if the story the former prisoner had told him about needing to help a young girl was true, then she would be about the right age by now… "Roland," He muttered, frowning heavily. "This time, I vow… I'll capture you, once and for all, 24601."
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Conflicting Interests
