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 11: In Too Deep
The next morning, Merlin's funeral had just begun, and the troops from the Zodian officials were waiting on standby. They had expected an outcome of several thousand people, which wasn't necessarily unusual, given the deceased wizard's extremely popular status, but the biggest worry that the government had was that of the followers attending. Of course, they had a right to be concerned, for just outside the parameters, the group was waiting their turn to strike.
Not even fifteen minutes into the funeral, Cedric gave a swift command, and all of Merlin's followers infiltrated, shouting out at the leaders of the country. They demanded equality, justice, and consideration for the poor, oppressed, and suffering people of Zodia. The chief of the precinct was not amused, especially when Greylock stole his whistle and blew it, calling for the other followers to follow him, knocking over building officials on the way.
Cedric swiped the megaphone from the chief and addressed the people of Zodia directly: "You are all being deceived!" He made eye contact with several people he'd met throughout his life: friends, colleagues, professors, and more. Many of them averted their eyes under his gaze, because it was so intense. "These people have no right to host Master Merlin's funeral, and you all know that very well! Why do you tolerate this nonsense?! When will you wake up and realize that you are being enslaved by your own government?!"
"Give that back!" the chief snapped, grasping Cedric's arm and yanking him down from the platform that he'd been standing on. When he had Cedric on the ground, he thrust his boot onto his chest, glowering down at the younger man. "If I had you alone," he snarled, "I'd do away with you right now. But seeing as we have an audience, you have two minutes to get your looney loudmouthed louses out of here before we arrest and eradicate you all."
The leader of the group grunted as he was released. He managed to stand to his feet, and he whistled loudly, signaling for his group to head out. He made one more quick decision and swiped the megaphone again, much to the other man's annoyance. "Tomorrow morning, join us in our crusade! We'll be prepared to fight for your rights, so maybe you can return the favor!" With that, he threw the megaphone into the crowd and hurried after the others, retreating to the café.
"We can't rest," Orion advised Cedric once they'd all gathered in the café again. "Those officials were heated, and they'll be after us soon."
"We should build a barricade," James suggested. "We can use all the furniture in the building, and some spare items around the streets, and we can block them from getting to us."
"What about magic, Cedric?" Zandar asked. "Wouldn't that be a more protective layer?"
Cedric nodded. "Good thinking. We'll need all the magical help we can get, not to mention the strength and manpower."
Slickwell gestured between himself and Sir Finnegan. "Finnegan and I can tag-team on the magic and manpower. I'd suggest getting James, Khalid, and Zandar to handle some of the inside items, and the rest can handle the outside. Hugo can be the lookout. Greylock?" He looked at his friend. "You going to help this time, or do you plan to drink yourself into a stupor?"
"More like 'and,' Slickwell," the sorcerer retorted as he chugged the last of his wine before tossing the bottle against the wall, ignoring it as it smashed. "It's more fun when I'm drunk anyway, right?" He grinned at Cedric, who scoffed.
"I want to help!" Corban insisted, tugging at the leader's hand. "Let me do something, Cedric!"
"Help Hugo be a lookout," Cedric told him, guiding the boy toward the student, who took his hand. "Hugo, watch him," he whispered to his friend, who nodded.
"I will."
"Can I help too?" Sofia asked with her voice sounding lower than normal, her hat settled a bit lower on her head to leave something of a shadow over her eyes. She had been sitting in the corner of the café since the others arrived.
"Who are you?" James asked, on guard.
"I'm a friend of Desmond's, and he told me about everything, and I want to help." Well, it wasn't a complete lie.
"Where is Desmond?" Orion asked, looking around. "He keeps disappearing."
"Probably went to chase after that wretched girl again," Cedric sighed, shaking his head. He looked at Sofia, folding his arms. "Can you use magic?"
"A… A little bit, yes." She lifted her hands, murmuring a simple spell some of the boys had taught her, and her hands lit up with Light Magic.
Cedric's eyes widened, but he didn't alert the others to what he had immediately realized. Instead, he issued a few orders and sent people on their way before taking Sofia's arm, pushing her into a side room. "Sofia?" He pulled her hat from her head, sighing as he saw her guilty expression. "Sofia, what are you doing here? Did Desmond ask you to be here? He knows how dangerous this is."
"Desmond had nothing to do with this," she countered, frowning.
"Where is he then?"
"I don't know! I'm not his keeper!"
He rolled his eyes, folding his arms as he leaned against the door, blocking her from leaving. "Could have fooled me. It was fairly obvious to most people how smitten you are with him, except Desmond himself, of course."
"Yeah, well, look where that's gotten me."
Cedric narrowed his eyes at the forlorn expression on the girl's face. "Don't you ever get tired of chasing a fantasy?"
Her eyes narrowed in response to his question. "Don't you ever get tired of hoping for the impossible?" Seeing him back down, she put her hands on her hips, frowning. "Can you move? I'm going to help the others."
"You most certainly are not. I won't have your death on my conscience."
She frowned. "Oh, really? But you'll let my little brother help you?"
He paused. "Little brother?" Realization dawned on him, and he gasped. "Corban is your brother?"
Sofia lowered her head. "My parents left him behind at a rally years ago and never looked for him, but I did… He knows who I am, but we don't communicate much for safety reasons. He's safer on the streets without any ties to me."
"That's ridiculous."
"How would you know?" she argued. "You don't know what it's like to be unwanted by your parents and thrown away like garbage, or to be poor and begging or stealing to survive. You're a rich boy with a savior mentality, and it's going to get you killed."
He sighed, nodding. "I apologize… You're right. I don't know much from that angle…which is where you would be invaluable, I suppose." He grasped her hand, feeling as she flinched at his touch. "Relax, I won't hurt you."
She shook her head. "You didn't hurt me. You startled me a bit." She then tilted her head to the side. "Wait… How did you know it was me anyway?"
He lifted her hand, turning her palm face up, where there was a bit of Light Magic still pooling there. "Your magic… No one in the group can make Light Magic like you can, Sofia… It was a dead giveaway."
She closed her hand into a fist, as if trying to hide something private from him. "You… You recognized me by my magic?"
Cedric couldn't help the soft smile that came to his lips, and he opened her palm again, placing his hand against hers. "I'd recognize your light and magic anywhere." He noticed the shift in her demeanor, as if she felt flattered by his words, so he cleared his throat. "Um, as I was saying… You'd be good at…strategies, I suppose. I'll let you work with me tonight, all right?"
Sofia finally smiled, nodding. "All right, Cedric…"
He wasn't sure why, but something about the way she said his name with that smile nearly made Cedric, Mr. No Relationships Allowed himself, almost release an enamored sigh. Instead, he grasped the doorknob, unlocked the door, and let them both back into the main entrance of the café. "I'll… I'll catch up with you later. Stay here for now, please."
"At least you said 'please' this time." She sat down at a table, folding her arms over the table, her hat now sitting on her lap.
"Cedric, come outside," James called into the restaurant. "There's a volunteer who wants to talk to you."
Cedric cast one last look at Sofia before following James, who led him to a very dressed-down Baileywick, who appeared as a common man in rags and a simple musket slung over his shoulder. "Can I help you, sir?"
"I'm Miles Bishop," Baileywick told him, his accent changed to mask his identity. "I'd like to help your cause. I'm a rebel fighter from the outlands, and I can spy on the government troops and report back to you. If you'll have me, that is."
Cedric exchanged glances with Greylock and Orion, who both shrugged. He folded his arms, turning to the man. "What are your credentials?"
"I…don't really have any, sir. Just the desire for patria and overall good health to the people of Zodia." Baileywick cringed inwardly at even saying those words out loud, since he didn't want to sound like the bleeding hearts he was actively against, but he had to fit in.
The leader nodded. "Welcome, then. We could use all the help we can get. If you can tell us when they're going to attack, that would be great. We anticipate tomorrow morning, when many are slowly growing weary, but we know it could be any time."
"We've built the barricade to block the troops, though," Khalid explained to the older man. "It's a mix of materials and magic, and only the powerful elites could break through some of the spells our guys used."
"I see," Baileywick murmured, nodding. He'd have to take this information back to the precinct and let the magic experts in on this. "Just let me know when to head out, and I'll find out what I can and report back to you."
Cedric hummed. "Wait an hour. Get some rest and something to eat, and then head out." He looked around as Baileywick moved by him, following James into the café to get something to eat. He observed the large barricade that blocked all the entrances and exits of the streets that led to the café. Baileywick could have only gotten in via one of the guys, so at least he knew it was sturdy and would hold. He noted the height of the barricade was at least around thirty feet, and with the magical layer surrounding and being fused into it, he felt more secure. He looked toward the others. "We'll need to figure out a way to have some visual spots so we can see out to the other sides, especially regarding spies and sneak attacks."
"Already on it," Hugo told him. "Corban and I have been doing some looking out, but we've figured out a way to unplug and plug in certain sections of the barricade. It should work fine."
"Good, good…" With little else to say, he looked around at the others. "Keep a sharp eye. I have some business to attend to, but I'll be back soon." He walked into the café, over to where Sofia was sitting, and he took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Follow me."
This time, she didn't protest, and instead she followed him silently as James sat with Baileywick, who was eating his meal while still keeping an eye out on things.
Upstairs, Cedric sat by one of the windows, pulling Sofia into the chair across from him. Only a table separated them from each other, but it was more than enough for comfort. "Be honest with me. You really don't know where Desmond is?"
Sofia shook her head. "I made a decision recently… He's my best friend, and I love him dearly, but… I can't spend my life keeping him in my sights if he's not going to return the sentiment. I know it's hard to believe, but I value my worth a little more than that."
Cedric nodded, clasping his hands on the table. "Good. I'm actually glad to hear that. I've seen far too many capable young women settle for the first man who gives her the slightest hint of affection, and it usually doesn't work out very well."
"For someone so optimistic and hopeful about changing the nature of Zodia, you sure are pessimistic about people in general."
He laughed bitterly. "When you've been let down by enough people, you tend to get that way."
Sofia blinked, recognizing a familiar link. "Your dad?"
"Ten years ago, he told me I'd never amount to anything. He said my magic was subpar, I'd flunk out of school, and I would never bring any value to the family name. Before he died, he told me the one regret he had was being obligated to pass the family wand on to me." He withdrew said wand from his coat pocket, turning it a few times in his palm. "It's the reason I always use my own wand. Why use something begrudgingly bequeathed to me?"
She leaned forward, her hands resting on her cheeks. "So why keep it?"
"I don't know, honestly…" Shrugging, he pushed the wand back into its place. "Emergencies, perhaps…" He nodded toward her, changing the subject. "Now then… About your role in this rebellion…"
They talked for nearly an hour, making plans and getting to know each other better. By the end of the hour, they were laughing and joking like they'd spoken often over the years of knowing each other. Why they hadn't done this sooner was a mystery…
"Sofia?" Desmond's voice called as the boy reached the top of the stairs. "Oh, Cedric, sorry I'm late. I… Family emergency." He then redirected his attention to his friend. "Sofia, why are you dressed like that? And what are you doing here?"
"She's here to help, Desmond," Cedric responded. "She was here on time."
"That's… That's good, I guess…" But it wasn't. Even if he didn't often show it, Desmond cared deeply about his best friend, and he didn't want to see her get hurt. He had to get her away from here, especially when he knew how dangerous this was probably going to become. "Um, Sofia, could I ask you a favor?"
A favor… The boy always wanted a favor… Sofia lifted her head, smiling tiredly at her friend. "Sure, Desmond…"
He withdrew a letter from his pocket, passing it to her. "Amber is supposed to leave the city soon with her father, and… I wanted to at least get this one last message to her. Could you deliver it to her for me please?"
Cedric frowned at the exchange, about to say something, when he noticed Sofia stand up. "Sofia?"
Sofia took the letter, and she promptly looked back at Cedric. "I'll be back later…" With that, she sadly left the room, just as several of the other followers of Merlin were filling the room upstairs.
"You are such a jerk, Desmond," James accused, scoffing.
"Yeah, for real," Zandar added, a judgmental look on his face.
"What did I do?" Desmond asked helplessly, waving his hands. "Guys, really, I just sent her on an errand for me to get her out of this mess. I don't want her getting hurt."
"Are you that thick-headed?" Greylock asked. "It's kind of obvious that the girl has feelings for you."
"We're friends," he defended weakly, adding, "and my heart belongs to Amber."
"Someone you just met," Cedric argued, frowning as Desmond sighed in frustration. "You've led that girl on for years, Desmond, and she's done nothing but be loyal to you. And how do you repay her? You give your attention to the first new pretty girl who enters your life. She's better off without you anyway." He turned, calling for some food to be ordered and delivered.
Defeated, Desmond slumped into a booth by himself, until Corban joined him and gave him a hug. He smiled, returning the young boy's hug. "At least you're not mad at me."
"Sofia will be okay," the boy predicted. "She always is."
Desmond wasn't quite sure what that was supposed to mean, but he didn't have much time to ponder it when drinks began arriving at the table. Better indulge now while he could…
Sofia had managed to pass the letter off to Roland, who'd intercepted the communication. She didn't really care who got it at this point. Walking slowly back to the barricaded café, she despairingly pondered her relationship with Desmond. They'd been friends for years, but he treated her like an acquaintance instead… It was like she'd invested more into their friendship than he had, and she was tired of being the one initiating things. Was she just there to do his bidding? To be at his beck and call? "He'll never love me like he loves her," she surmised, her heart, recently on the mend, breaking a little more. "But he has never been able to give much of himself to me anyway—not for love, not for friendship… So why do I bother?" Disheartened, she reached the edge of the barricade, leaning against it instead of asking to enter. For now, she just wanted to be alone…
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Twisted Reality