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 8: Conflicting Interests

In the early part of the evening, Desmond walked to the café where his friends always met to discuss their plans for carrying out Master Merlin's mission, when he encountered someone who brought hope to his heart. "Sofia!"

Sofia turned, blinking, but then she smiled softly as she fully faced her friend. "Hi, Desmond… I like your new suit."

Desmond glanced down, making note that he was wearing a dark blue blazer and matching pants, with some embellishments here and there. It was an outfit for his debate class at his university, which had taken place that day. "Thanks, Sofia. My Aunt Nadine bought it for me for that event today. And I like your…" He gestured at her, the words dying on his tongue. "Well, you look…really nice. I love your hair like that."

The girl knew he was trying to be nice, and while she appreciated his efforts, she knew he was lying. Ever since being kicked out onto the streets, Sofia and her family had been forced to steal what they could in order to survive. Her once fancy dresses her father had gotten her were long since gone, and she now wore a simple tan dress that was so dirty even washing it wouldn't release the years of stains, and a long brown coat she'd recently taken from an estate sale. Thankfully, no one had been watching at the time, but she still felt guilty about stealing from the dead. However, she had to survive those harsh winters of Zodia somehow, and she finally chose herself for once. Even though she'd learned some magic spells during her times spent at the café, she wasn't powerful enough nor did she know the proper spells to help herself. Maybe someday…

As for her hair, she had no way of truly caring for it while on the streets. Every few days, she would sneak down to a section of the river that wasn't tainted by sewage and magical debris, and she would immerse herself in the water to at least rid herself of the filth of the street. She usually pinned her hair into a bun, a sign that it was probably dirty, but she'd recently washed it in the river and allowed it to hang in a long braid down the length of her body, ending somewhere around her mid-legs. The hair itself was probably still tangled in the woven tresses, but she'd sort that out later…maybe.

"Thank you, Desmond," she responded, her hand unconsciously lifting to her hair and stroking the braid. "Were you going to the meeting tonight?"

"I am, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

She lit up, anxious to help him in whatever way she could. After all, he was her friend if nothing else, and making him happy was all that mattered. "I'd love to! What is the favor?"

He smiled somewhat sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "Well… Today, I met the most beautiful girl ever, with long golden hair and a sweet disposition. Her name is Amber."

Sofia felt her heart shatter in that instant. Amber… Of course… She'd never be as good as Amber. Even when they were younger and Amber was the waif and ward of the Wilkinsons, she was chosen to escape her parents' hold, not her. Never her…

"Anyway, I just wanted to know where she is staying so that I can see her again. I'd like to get to know her more."

"O-Oh…" Nodding and lowering her arms to wrap around herself in a soothing manner, she smiled sadly at her friend. "I'll find her, Desmond. Don't worry."

"Oh, thank you, Sofia!" He reached out and hugged her, not realizing that she'd stiffened in his hold and hadn't returned the hug herself. He grinned as he let her go, his hands lifting to her cheeks in an affectionate manner. "You're the best." With that, he turned and happily marched into the café.

"Am I?" she wondered, her hand lifting to her cheek, the warmth of his own hands still present. "Then why don't you want me?" Resolutely, she turned, ambling away to make herself useful to the one person she admired, but the same person who could never give her the time of day. But still… She should be used to that by now. After all, that's how she'd spent most of her life…

Once Desmond entered the café, he was greeted with cheers and shouts of the men and women gathered. On a table near the window at the top of the café, Cedric stood, his stance as passionate and energetic as always when he gave his speeches to uplift the spirits of those around him. He listened as Cedric spoke, while his mind attempted to stay trained on the current events and not on Amber.

"We'll take command of this city with our magic," Cedric told the others, his eyes ablaze with fire and hope. While he could be overly realistic when it came to matters of the heart, he was idealistic when dealing with the future of Zodia and its people. It was a strange gray line he had to navigate time to time, but he did it well. Or so he thought. "The government will have no choice but to cater to us when we revolt. They may have powerful demands from their documents, but we know spells that can grant us the justice all people, poor and rich, magical and non-magical, deserve!"

"Yeah!"

"That's right, Cedric!"

"We'll win this fight!"

Several followers of Master Merlin were just as enthusiastic as Cedric himself, including university students Zandar, James, Khalid, and Hugo; industry workers Orion and Slickwell; and even a knight named Sir Finnegan. Half of the followers had little knowledge of or use for magic, but they believed in Merlin's cause and Cedric's leadership. And then there was Greylock…

"Sure, we'll win," Greylock muttered, rolling his eyes as he lifted a bottle of wine to his lips, drinking long and wistfully from it. He sighed as he slammed the bottle onto the table, startling a few people nearby. He hiccupped, grinning at them. "Sorry, long sip. Fancy some, Slickwell?" He grinned as he lifted the bottle, taunting the other man.

"You're drunk," Slickwell returned, rolling his eyes. "But what else is new?"

Greylock was Cedric's best friend and biggest skeptic. He didn't come to these meetings because he believed in the cause or had any hope that Zodia would change. Zodia would never change, as far as he was concerned. After all, the people in the government were far more powerful than they realized, and even capturing Master Merlin should have been a clue. But for Cedric, the one person who gave him even the tiniest inkling of what 'hope' could be, he showed up to every single meeting. Now, he might have been inebriated each time since the subject matter meant nothing to him, and Cedric shouting and passionately gesturing to the crowd while Greylock was wasted was rather amusing, but that was his choice. Sure, Cedric was too idealistic, in his opinion, but he would follow him until the end, because he admired him. He wished he could have the same level of hope his leader did…

Desmond had scarcely sat down next to James when he heard his name called, and he lifted his eyes to see Cedric now on the floor, hovering near him. He smiled guiltily. "Hi, Cedric."

"Don't 'Hi, Cedric' me, Desmond," the leader chided. "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago. Where were you?"

"I… I was a bit distracted, and—"

"Ooh, la, la," Greylock teased, making smooching noises as he pushed over to slide next to Desmond, throwing an arm around him. "Does Desmond have feelings for someone? Finally?" He gasped, pointing dramatically at the younger man's chest. "Oh! Don't tell me. It's that fancy little blonde girl we saw you chatting with earlier, wasn't it? Ooh, she's lovely, no doubt." He grinned up at Cedric, who did not seem thrilled with this news. "I believe our boy finally has his eyes fixed on a girl, Cedric. He's falling in love."

"Love," Cedric began, sounding harsh as he trained his eyes on Desmond's, "is a waste of time in our world. The only love you should feel, Desmond, is for Zodia's people. You can't lose your focus on what truly matters: helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Have you forgotten our cause? You must choose: Are you with us…or with them? With the hapless fools of this world who opt to lose themselves to meaningless relationships instead of shaping the future to make things better for everyone?"

"I can do both, Cedric," Desmond argued lightly, a light smile on his face. "I can be smitten by Amber, and I can help make Zodia better."

Cedric glared at him, frowning as he folded his arms. "You're a fool, Desmond. You're intelligent, but you act idiotic, and you're overly sentimental. Don't come to these meetings if you're going to be distracted by some girl. It's insulting." He turned, walking over to Orion, to chat with him instead.

"Aw, Des, don't listen to him," James encouraged, patting him on the shoulder. "We're glad you finally found someone. It's about time!"

"Right?" Zandar joked. "I was starting to wonder if we'd have to take you to one of those meet-up places or something."

"So, she's pretty, huh?" Khalid asked next, smiling at the blush on Desmond's face.

"She's beautiful," Desmond corrected. "Hair like a ray of sunshine, eyes like a beautiful jewel, a sweet disposition…" He tilted his head, looking at James curiously. "She could almost be your twin, honestly. Except, no offense, James, but she's much prettier."

James scoffed as the other guys laughed at the innocent insult. "I'll have you know that plenty of girls have called me pretty."

"They were drunk," Greylock taunted, lifting his wine again, laughing. "And so am I! Cheers!"

The chatter continued until the door to the upper room of the café slammed open, and a distraught-looking Corban stood before the crowd, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't have been more than ten or eleven years old, and yet a sort of maturity had settled onto his facial features long ago. He had witnessed so many terrible things as a street urchin, and he was no stranger to tragedy and disappointments. Even still, he barely managed to sob out the words that everyone present dreaded they would eventually hear: "Master Merlin is dead! The officials killed him tonight!" He sniffled, rubbing his dirty hands across his cheeks, trying to compose himself. He cried more when he felt arms encircle around him, his shaking form being lifted into the arms of the leader of the group.

Cedric held Corban closely and allowed him to cry, while he himself had to hold back his own tears. Merlin had been not only a leader, but a friend. A mentor to many of them, including himself. For Corban, he'd been a grandfather figure and someone to look up to. And now he was gone… "This is our hour," he told the others solemnly, still holding the shaken Corban. "Now you see why our journey is so important. We must pick up where Master Merlin left off. We cannot falter and let down the people of Zodia. We will reach out to our people and get them to become just as frustrated and unsettled with the government's rule as we are. They will rise and join us!"

"YES!"

"And all of our efforts, and all of Master Merlin's teachings, will not be in vain! I swear on everything I am: I will die fighting for this city and our people before I would ever dream of giving up!"

The energy was buzzing again, but for a different reason this time. Merlin's death had reignited a vigor amongst his followers: a passion for helping Zodia be restored to a more glorified and dignified land, as it had once been. Food was soon ordered and passed around to the members while Cedric carried Corban off to the side, sitting down to chat privately with him for a bit. After drying the boy's tears, and even offering him a warm hug, Cedric sent him over to sit with Greylock and James. He then stood and moved over to the table where Desmond sat, grasping his arm.

"Cedric?" Desmond asked, noting his friend's serious features.

Cedric leaned down and whispered into his ear, "You need to make a decision and figure out where your loyalties lie." He released the younger man when he noticed the crestfallen expression.

"It's unfair to choose. How can you make me choose between my friends and possibly having a chance at love, Cedric?"

"No one cares about your 'lonely soul,' Desmond. This is bigger than all of us, and certainly bigger than you. Don't be selfish when this entire city, filled with poor and desolate people, need our help."

Annoyed at being called selfish, Desmond irritably stood from the table and pushed past Cedric, walking down the stairs toward the exit. Once he reached the cooler air outside, he took a deep breath, leaning up against the wall of the cobblestone building. Was Cedric right? Was he being selfish? He didn't want to appear weak or uncaring, but he was just experiencing what many others had already been through: a pining for someone with whom he could possibly share his life. He wanted to be with Amber, even after only having met her for a few brief moments.

"Desmond?"

He opened his eyes, startled when he heard a familiar voice. He smiled at his friend. "Sofia?"

"I found her," she told him simply, though her voice didn't echo the excitement her friend's face did. "Follow me. I'll lead you to her."

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Starshine and Moon Fade