Hello! This story was inspired by the cloning spells used in the episode "Sofia The Worst", in which a duplication spell is said wrong and a bad version of Sofia was produced. In this story's case, Greylock falls victim to the spell and its consequences. Overall, the story will dig deeper into its magic, as well as Greylock's characters (Good and bad). This is also intended to be a Cedlock fic with a slow burn to it. Romance through a bundle of chaos is sure to be an interesting ride. I hope you enjoy!


Just one of someone is enough. It really should be enough. Although, when that particular someone must be in two places at once, having only one of that person may not be enough. At the same time, it is also possible that having more than one is far too much. Perhaps it is both; perhaps it is neither. The night is not yet young, as it still has yet to come. Hours must first be allowed their typical passage. Alongside all else, today it is to slowly pass during a long trip in the kingdom of Rudistan.

Being in a flying carriage on its way to Rudistan with the royal family of Enchancia was not how Cedric thought his afternoon would go. He hadn't even known about the trip itself until that same morning when Princess Sofia and Baileywick had informed him of it late notice.

In the time before the princess ventured to Cedric's tower, Baileywick had arrived up the stone stairs to deliver a wrapped package to the sorcerer. Baileywick held the package in one hand and used his other to knock on the door.

When Cedric opened his workshop door, he was without his robe that he usually wore overtop his other clothes and had not yet tied his typical floppy bow. In an ungloved hand, he held a pink comb. It was apparent that the sorcerer was still preparing himself for the day ahead.

"It's nearly eight o'clock, Cedric. You know you should be ready for your day by now." Baileywick chastised.

"Oh! Why, good morrow to you, too." Cedric sarcastically replied with a false grin. His dramatic expression dropped. "If you must know, I had a late night of work." He informed, gesturing behind him with his hand towards the messy work desk. The space was cluttered with ingredient bottles, spell books, and potions.

As soon as Cedric turned himself back towards Baileywick, the steward plucked the comb out of his hand, swapping it in place of the addressed package. Cedric would have voiced his annoyance with the gesture had he not been more confused with the package placed into his hands. He stared intently at it, trying to find some indication of who had sent it or where it had come from. The package was a rectangular shape that could almost pass as a square. The wrapping was of khaki color with a like-colored string that tied from all four sides into the middle, making a simple tying bow. It wasn't often Cedric received mail addressed to him, and he couldn't think of anyone who would be sending him a package. As a matter of fact, there was no name besides his own to help him identify who it could have been from.

"What's this?" The sorcerer asked. The box was lightweight but not soft to the touch. Given the hard feeling inside of the package, he assumed it to be wooden, but could not tell for sure.

Baileywick was humored by the question and wore a faint smile. "Well, I wouldn't know." He said, sneaking by the sorcerer and into the workshop. Cedric finally looked up from the package and instead focused his attention on the steward entering his space. Baileywick placed the comb atop the cluttered desk and made room for the package Cedric held by moving his spell book aside. He closed the book and turned, motioning at Cedric to the now-cleared desk spot.

Cedric's eyebrows furrowed. "I was still going to use that page!" He said, walking towards his desk and setting the package down.

"Then it will be right here waiting for you when you return from your trip," Baileywick replied.

Cedric's features softened and he raised an eyebrow. "My… trip?" He inquired. "What are you talking about?"

"The trip to Rudistan, of course," Baileywick stated. He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "The royal family will be leaving in two hours." He added. Baileywick put the pocket watch away and immediately noticed Cedric's bewildered face upon looking back up. The steward sighed. "Don't tell me you forgot." He said, disappointment apparent in his tone.

"I can't forget anything if I was never told!" Cedric cried. The castle seemed to have an ongoing habit of not telling him things; It was more than displeasing. "When was this established? And whoever decided to claim that I was going with them?" He questioned.

"If I recall correctly, your friend Greylock resides in that kingdom. I'd think you would want to go; I know for certain you don't get company all that often." Baileywick said. Cedric narrowed his eyes at the comment. "Princess Sofia seemed pleased that you would be accompanying them." He added, noticing the girl mentioned coming up the stairs.

Cedric put a hand into his hair, perplexed by this seemingly sudden event he had been dragged into. "The princess?" Cedric asked, "Why is she under this assumption? I never said that I-"

"Good morning, Mr. Cedric!" Sofia chirped as she quickly entered the workshop. Cedric's glance quickly made its way to the doorway and the child who was entering. He was taken aback by the girl's sudden appearance.

"Princess Sofia!" The sorcerer stammered. "I'm- well, I'm afraid there's been a slight misunderstanding in plans-"

Sofia's gasp cut him off. "Oh! Does that mean the coachman is feeling better?" She asked. Her smile seemed to only grow.

Cedric tilted his head to the side. "The… the coachman?" He asked, not having the foggiest idea on what the girl was getting at.

"Baileywick said that the coachman was sick, so we'll have a different one taking us today," Sofia informed.

"And there is," Baileywick pitched in. "Thank you, princess. I'm sure your input has helped with clearing up Cedric's confusion." He said. Cedric shot him a look at the remark which the steward chose to ignore.

"This trip is going to be so much fun!" Sofia beamed. "I've never seen Rudistan before." She added.

"Yes, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time, princess." Cedric offhandedly replied.

"I'm sure you will, too!" Sofia continued. "My dad said he wasn't sure if you had any plans there or not. I'm not sure if he knows why you're going."

"Neither do I," Cedric grumbled, scowling in Baileywick's direction. King Magnus had, more often than not, made insufferable impressions. He wasn't sure he could handle being in a kingdom where the king's face was plastered on every other wall. Sofia hadn't seemed to hear his remark.

"You ought to finish getting ready, princess," Baileywick suggested.

"I'm all packed and ready to go!" Sofia beamed. "I just need some help putting my luggage into the carriage." She said.

Baileywick stepped forward beside the child. "Not to worry, I'll be happy to assist." He volunteered. Sofia thanked the steward and turned around to leave the workshop with Baileywick trailing behind her. Cedric stopped him in his tracks by walking in front of the man and putting one of his hands up.

"Baileywick, this is ridiculous!" Cedric complained, his now hushed voice still radiating his annoyed tone. "Can't you see I have more important things to be doing than visiting a far-away kingdom, only to be suffocated by the praise of an undeserving wanker and drenched in the man's ego?"

"The king's ego," Baileywick corrected. Cedric did not seem pleased with the older man's reply and slumped while Baileywick adjusted his glasses. "I think you'll find the trip to be better off taken than missed, Cedric." The steward stated. "I advise you to begin packing." He added before walking past the sorcerer. Cedric watched as Baileywick followed the princess descending the stairs.

This was not something he was all that interested in. There was a list of other tasks for his workshop or responsibilities for the king that needed tending to.

The enthusiasm Sofia had shown about him accompanying the royal family was just about the only reason he was considering going along. Over time he had become more careful about not disappointing the princess, as he felt a twinge of guilt when the typically cheerful princess was downcast. Perhaps he could find a way to entertain Sofia should she become bored in the kingdom she was vastly overestimating.

On the other hand, Baileywick did have a point on why he may wish to go; Greylock was not only a resident of the kingdom but worked in the castle for the king. Although he could not be sure of Greylock's position now, considering he too had been involved in the Order of the Wand fiasco. If all was well, however, perhaps there would be a chance for them to catch up. Cedric had grown more fond of Greylock's company at the jubilee, especially in comparison to their school days.

The sorcerer sighed to himself. "Alright, I'll go," He told himself, turning towards his work table and glancing down at the wooden box he had yet to open. "I'll be back for you later." He added as if to speak to the box directly. The sorcerer tied his yellow floppy bow as he walked up the stairs to fetch his spare suitcase.


Eventually, the royals arrived in view of Rudistan's castle grounds. They were given an overhead view of the castle as their flying carriage glided down toward the front. The castle Magnus inherited had a bit less building to it than Enchancia's castle, although there appeared to be much more for flower gardens and decorative fields. Along some of the outside grounds, red carpets stretched along the ends of different pathways. Cedric wondered what levels of maintenance it may take to keep the carpets in good condition when the weather changes. And as a whole, he couldn't have guessed King Magnus would have so much decor on the outskirts of his castle, especially not when a few miles away from each side of the castle was a wall to barricade outsiders.

The carriage swiftly landed from the air to the ground below, coming to a slow stop. From the flight of stairs up to the castle entrance, the royals could see King Magnus sitting atop his throne awaiting them. Their chauffeur opened the carriage door, facing the stairway and awaiting the royals' departure. Roland appeared first, holding his hand out for Miranda as she stepped out. Sofia and James eagerly exited after their mother with Amber closely following her siblings. Out last was Cedric, brushing off the front of his robe as the chauffeur closed the carriage doors behind him. The six started up the stairs while the sound of their carriage relocating was heard faintly below.

King Magnus was seated upon a royal blue throne with gold, swirl-like decor along all sides of the chairs' visible backing. The chair legs were wooden with vertical gold stripes, circular and rectangular rubies following along the lines. Beside him was one of his castle workers, a younger man with short, ginger hair. He wore a dark cacao suit vest and a beige button-up, along with lime green pants and a golden bow tie.

Magnus watched as the visiting royals made their way toward him. When they reached the top of the stairs, he stood up with open arms and a brash grin.

"King Roland!" Magnus boomed, his outstretched arms moving to shake the other king's hand before resting back at his sides. "I was wondering when you'd decide to arrive." He said.

Roland cringed at the discourteous comment but offered the king a smile nonetheless. "King Magnus, you're looking well," He started. "It appears we're right on time." He added in response to the other man's comment.

Magnus hummed in clear disagreement. "No, you're late." He contended. "I've been waiting out here for five extra minutes than what I requested." He stated.

"I see," Roland grumbled. He tried to give Magnus the benefit of the doubt that his responsibilities as king kept him busy, although he couldn't deny how suffocating the man could be. Nevertheless, he placed a hand overtop his heart. "My apologies. I suppose that was our mistake." He said.

"Yes, quite so." Magnus agreed, led by an obnoxious laugh. "No matter! I believe I have a castle to show you all." He said, turning around and beckoning them to follow. When Magnus looked behind him, he noticed his castle worker was still standing there, as well as his throne. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the chair, scowling in distaste at the servant. "What did I tell you about taking my throne inside?" He chided.

The man fiddled anxiously with his hands. The king had not specifically instructed him of this. "N-Nothing, sire." He stammered.

Magnus grunted at the less-than-agreeable response. He pointed to the doors of the castle in disdain. "Take it away." He commanded.

The worker bowed to his king before going to pick up the throne. He lifted it with a strained grunt and stumbled while walking backward.

Magnus turned back towards the visiting royals and gave a short laugh. "Servants," He said with a dismissive tone. "Don't pay him any mind, he's a new royal recruit of ours." He added. Sofia took pity on the struggling servant as he stumbled into the castle, turning down an out-of-sight hallway. Her attention was quickly brought back as King Magnus beckoned the group inside. A smile quickly rose to her face once more.

Miranda linked arms with Roland as they entered the castle. The large entrance hallway had cream-colored walls and beige flooring, along with a royal blue carpet down the center. Tall, marble pillars were displayed along both sides of the hall. The bottoms of these pillars were brick and of like color to the walls. Different colored banners hung from the ceiling, whereas large plants rested down below in decorated pots.

"It's very kind of you to take time out of your day to give us a tour of your castle, King Magnus," Miranda commented.

"Yes, it is." Magnus agreed. "There's so much to see in this grand castle of mine, and I've spent several years making sure that every inch is perfect. Who better to lead the tour than myself?" He gloated.

Roland glanced up towards the tall ceiling while sighing to himself. Miranda noticed her husbands' discomfort and placed a comforting hand atop his own. She offered him a sympathetic smile.


The group soon passed a pair of large, open double doors that led into a long, stretched hallway. King Magnus welcomed the royals into the room while continuing to lead. The walls were painted cedar brown with spread-out gold etchings of swirly, vertical stripes. Long banners hung at the sides of the walls; they were royal blue with a yellow border around the entirety of each banner. They appeared to display the Rudistan crest with a green figure of a bear in the center.

The matching long and blue carpet extended throughout both ends of the room. On both sides of the flooring beyond the edges of the carpet were small, square tables with tall legs. The display tables had glass domes on each one of them to keep the particular objects inside them concealed underneath. Many of the objects floated in their domes.

"There's quite a lot to enjoy about this room," King Magnus claimed. "It displays only a few of my grand accomplishments during my reign over this kingdom, but they're all unique in their own ways." He said, going on to explain the meanings of some of the artifacts and objects, as well as why they belonged in the room.

The group looked to their sides as they walked slowly and delicately. Magnus had a sense of pride in his steps and insisted on pointing out a majority of the items on display. Cedric noticed one book in particular under one of the glass domes. It floated in the middle of the limited space rather than laying flat on the square table. While he had already taken into account how most of the objects did this, he was more focused on the particular book. It looked close to one he was already familiar with.

Cedric could make out the gold, cursive wording on the book's cover, "The Deep End of the Potion". His eyes widened slightly. He did know this book- there was a copy of it in his workshop back in Enchancia. Why in the world was a magic book such as this one concealed so?

"Cedric," King Roland called to the entranced sorcerer.

Cedric looked up in surprise at the sudden beckoning of his name after previously drowning out the voices in the room. He anxiously grasped his wand at his chest with both hands as he noticed there were multiple pairs of eyes on him. Nevertheless, he gave a forced chuckle. "Sire?" He inquired. Were they waiting on him?

Cedric's eyes shot to Magnus when a loud laugh came from him suddenly. He pushed past Roland to approach the book Cedric had been interested in.

"You don't want your royal sorcerer poking around this book, Roland," Magnus said. Cedric gulped and took a step back to create more space between himself and the king, his small pupils staring up at the king who looked towards Roland. It felt as though the Rudistan king was talking about him like he wasn't right there. "I certainly didn't, which is why it's protected in this room," Magnus added, distaste apparent in his tone.

Roland easily identified this. "He was only looking, King Magnus," He politely assured. He looked at his royal sorcerer with a faint scowl. "Cedric," He called once more, louder this time with a beckoning hand gesture.

"Yes, your majesty," Cedric said with a quick bow before joining the group once more. He stood at Roland's side opposite of the queen. King Magnus' behavior towards the book was suspicious. He could not see much of a reason why he would insist on that book being enclosed under glass- in a room of the king's accomplishments, he could add.

"Glass doesn't seem like a very secure option for these objects," Amber stated.

King Magnus looked over at the child after she gave the unsolicited comment. "Yes, well, they're more so for display reasons, my dear," Magnus explained, walking back over to the group. "The doors to this room are kept locked and under good watch at all other times, but you visiting royals are fortunate enough to have a look inside." He said.

"Lucky us," Roland muttered to his wife. It felt as though King Magnus was almost always bragging. Even his steps seemed to hold a sense of supremacy over the other royals. It was entirely distasteful.

"And why is a book in a room about all your great accomplishments?" Sofia politely asked, adding to her sister's start of questioning. Cedric perked up at her inquiry, interested in an answer, or any other insight he could get. "Did you write it?" Sofia proceeded to ask. The sorcerer slumped at the follow-up question.

The short burst of booming laughter Magnus gave made the princess cringe. He gave Roland a smack on the back. "That's quite a curious kid you've got, Roland," He said, putting his hands on his hips. "Where in your royal blood did she get that?"

Miranda scowled at this. Roland was also visibly displeased with his comments. Had he not put his free hand comfortingly on Miranda's linked arm, she would have surely said something.

"They call this book The Deep End of the Potion," Magnus informed the princess. "Many of its contents look to inspire the creation of potions far too dangerous to be kept in any person's possession. Up until I realized what it contained, my royal sorcerer had it in his possession. I had the book restricted when I correctly sensed there was trouble, and no one in my kingdom has seen it since." He stated proudly.

Cedric listened intently to the information. Magnus must have been talking about Greylock- he is the kingdom's royal sorcerer, after all. Or, at least… he was. Cedric hadn't seen or heard from Greylock since The Order of the Wand meeting. In fact, he hadn't heard anything even remotely related to his friend since that time. Perhaps his fate in the aftermath of his failed attempt to take over Rudistan was being swept under the rug. Whatever it took to make King Magnus look better, he supposed. And still, what was so wrong about that book, anyway? Cedric felt that the king was overreacting drastically about the potion books' dangers. Whenever he had picked it up, either to read or to use, he could not remember seeing anything that would be too dangerous for a royal sorcerer to handle or keep possession of.

King Magnus sneered. "The book is much better off here than in the hands of that wicked sorcerer." He added.

James and Amber exchanged glances of confusion. Greylock had seemed kind when they met him at the royal jubilee. The children wondered about the potential falling-out that had happened and felt themselves having even more questions than before the comment.

Cedric was even more confused by the statement. What happened to King Magnus describing Greylock as 'The greatest sorcerer who ever waved a wand'? His king used to speak so highly of him, even if it was only really to make himself look better.

Another ten or so minutes passed of Magnus explaining the meanings of each concealed object. While they remained polite, the royals admittedly felt more relief the closer they reached to the other side of the hallway, eager to exit out the doors. That way, they would see what else the castle had to offer, or, as Roland hoped, the end of the tour itself.

Sofia's attention was eventually drawn toward a display on her left. There was a wand. Nothing was particularly unique about it in terms of attention to detail in its design. If anything, it had a similar look to Cedric's regular wand. Instead of being purple, it was brown. The wand floated in the middle of the display.

"What's this one about, King Magnus?" Sofia eagerly asked, pointing up at the display.

Magnus turned to look at where the girl was pointing and smiled triumphantly at the wand.

"This, my dear, is one of my greatest accomplishments yet," He gloated. "It's a symbol of both my bravery and my calm demeanor in the face of danger. This wand shows that when my kingdom was in danger of my old royal sorcerer, I brought it all to a stop, and wore the crown another day." Magnus stated.

"This was Greylock's wand?" James asked, surprised.

The king grunted. "It was, indeed. Not so much anymore," He replied, "There's hardly any use for magic where he's landed himself. If anything, him keeping his wand would be too much power."

"Why did he do it?" Sofia asked.

"Where is he now?" Amber continued.

"Girls," Roland chastised at the children's prodding questions.

Magnus laughed. "Oh, I don't mind it, Roland," He assured. "It's good to see curious minds wondering about the details of my grand accomplishments!" He said.

This was the point in the conversation where Cedric began to tune out King Magnus again. His gloating was unimportant to his thought process, especially considering the king didn't seem as though he was going to answer the questions.

Something about all of this didn't feel right. Even on the day when Cedric met with others involved in the Order of the Wand and realized their group was rooted in evil, he had questions of his own on why Greylock was involving himself. He had been confused enough when he had seen villains like Morgana seated around the table at the convention. Why did Greylock stay?

Surely he wasn't evil. Not truly, anyhow. Greylock may be a ridiculously annoying and sometimes insufferable prankster, but he didn't seem like the type to want to take over a kingdom, and certainly not in the ways and levels Cedric had once wished. Greylock already had his respect and previously good name dished out by Magnus to practically any ruler who would listen. Growing tired of compliments seemed impossible to him.

Nevertheless, this definitely felt wrong. Cedric wished to find Greylock and speak with the sorcerer himself.

Focusing back on the scene, he could hear that Magnus was still going on about himself, although he had moved on to a new display. Cedric took a step forward to stand back next to his king, looking up at Roland to see his bored expression and tired eyes. Miranda gently rubbed his shoulder for the second of two times to keep himself awake. He shook in place slightly and gave his wife a sheepish smile. Roland looked forward with a neutral expression.

Cedric turned towards his king and gulped, putting a finger up in question. "Your majesty?" He began in a hushed tone.

"Hm?" Roland began, looking away from Magnus and towards the sorcerer. "What is it, Cedric?"

"Well, I was just..," He began, pausing to not trip over his words. He really shouldn't be doing this. "If-If I may be excused temporarily, sire," He requested.

Under typical circumstances, Roland may have questioned more than he had on Cedric's request to leave, although in this case, he couldn't see a reason why someone would want to stay. He almost envied Cedric's position of not being required to stay and hear the Rudistan king ramble on. Almost.

Roland gave a strained chuckle. "Are you sure you want to miss the rest of all this delightful bragging?"

"Um," Cedric started, putting his hands together nervously. Yes, he thought, although he wouldn't want to give the wrong response at such an inappropriate time. Cedric took note of the king's smirk and leaned forward slightly. "Are you being sarcastic, your majesty?" He questioned.

"Rollie," Miranda discouraged at her husband's speech on Magnus. Although she couldn't find herself blaming him for being displeased with the other king's demeanor.

Roland put a hand on hers and looked back down at the sorcerer. "Yes, Cedric. You're excused for now. We should be in the ballroom when you return."

So he was expected to return soon. Cedric wouldn't have complained about getting to skip out on the rest of the tour, but this allowance of time away was already more than fair. "Thank you, sire." Cedric thanked, taking a bow for the king. He then stood up straight and turned to walk away from the group.

The only person in the bunch who took notice of the sorcerer leaving was Sofia. Before he could leave- and he had only taken but three steps- the princess looked to stop him. Cedric felt a tugging on his robe and stopped in his tracks, looking down at the princess with unease.

"Mr. Cedric? Where are you going?" Sofia asked.

Oh, dear. The princess must have overheard their conversation. The last thing he needed right now was to have Sofia on his tail asking questions.

"That is no concern of yours, princess." He replied, proceeding on now that Sofia had let go of his robe. The princess watched as Cedric continued on and found herself suspicious of his sudden departure.

The booming voice of Magnus got slightly quieter the further Cedric walked from the group, although the loud voice still felt like an intrusion to his ears until he reached the other end of the hallway and shut the door.

The castle halls were absent of other people, which would give Cedric a better chance to look around without seeming suspicious. He looked to his right and proceeded down the hallway the group had stopped at halfway. His pace was a hesitant run to the end of the hallway.

Cedric stopped at a point where he could see down three other directions. The direction in the center that continued forward from the previous walkway had a large pair of closed, double-doors at the end. To the right was a hallway of several elegant and spaced-out doors. There were statues and artwork spread around the path. Cedric assumed that hallway was the direction to go for all the guest bedrooms based on the appearance of his own castle in Enchancia, although he couldn't be sure. Nevertheless, it hardly looked like a place to keep a dungeon.

The sorcerer looked to his left, now, and noticed a couple more pieces of art on the walls, as well as multiple statues of King Magnus, one of which resided on a display table with two vases beside the statue. More than that, there was a pair of stone stairs that descended downwards. Cedric decided to take this path, starting toward it.

He couldn't get far before he heard an unfamiliar voice calling out, "Stop right there!"

Cedric froze at the sudden voice. It didn't sound far from him. He turned his head and looked behind himself to see a Rudistan guard staring back at him. One of the guard's hands reached to the other side of himself where he had a sword as though he were about to draw it. Cedric's eyes went wide and he turned his head back forward.

"Turn around," The guard commanded.

Hesitantly, Cedric turned himself and looked at the guard. Had he really done something to make himself look suspicious? Perhaps he had examined the hallway choices for too long. It was also possible that Magnus wished for his return despite Roland allowing him the ability to depart from the group.

"You're not supposed to be here," The guard stated.

Some of Cedric's worry was replaced by annoyance with the comment. "Oh, but I am," He retorted. "I'm here with the royal family of Enchancia." He informed. The sorcerer noticed how the guard took his hand away from his sword at the words, instead letting his hands rest by his sides. Cedric felt a small sense of pride at how easily he managed to subdue the guard. He seemed gullible enough that the sorcerer's worry become much less prominent than his sass. With a smirk, he continued, "Perhaps you didn't hear of our arrival?"

The guard's eyebrows furrowed at the man's cockiness. "I did," He stated. "I also heard that our kingdom's visitors were supposed to be on a tour of the castle. If I'm not mistaken, that tour hasn't ended." He said, taking a few steps closer.

Cedric took a partial step back at seeing the man approaching. Crap. The guard wasn't nearly as gullible as just assumed. The sorcerer was unsure about how to respond. "Y-Yes, well, if you're so inclined to know, I left to… find a restroom." He lied.

"But there are restrooms back behind us, not so much here unless you intend to go back to your room." The other man stated. Cedric shifted in unease, a motion that did not go unnoticed. "And what business does a sorcerer have sneaking around this part of the castle?" The guard asked, Studying the man as he pointed at the path Cedric had intended to explore.

"None, I'm afraid I took a wrong turn, and..," Cedric lied, his words coming out stammered. Mid-sentence, he stopped himself and stared at the guard, a scowl returning. "How dare you," He chastised, folding his arms. The sneer he gave silenced the guard. "I should think my king would be all but pleased to have you meddling with his royal sorcerer." He stated.

"Well, if his royal sorcerer is up to no good-"

"My king took precious time out of his busy schedule to visit your kingdom for trading discussion, and in return, you look to displease him?" Cedric prodded.

The guard scowled. "Of course not,"

"I suppose this is how you treat all your guests, then, is it not?" Cedric continued. "Or is it just that your lot prefers ticking off your allies?" He asked. The sorcerer let his hands fall back to his hips. "I'll have you know that I am not amused."

The other man put a hand up to stop the other. "That's enough," He said, growing tired of the sorcerer's tangent. "Just carry on that way. Is that easy enough for you?" He asked.

Although Cedric was displeased with the backhanded comment, he was now relieved that the man seemed to be off his back. "Quite," He confirmed, walking off with false confidence toward the guided direction.

Cedric walked at a faster pace as distance grew between them all in an attempt to have the other lose his trail. Once he was a fair distance from the guard, he noticed a long hallway with large, red drapes at the sides of the entrance. Cedric went off to the side and hid behind the right-sided curtain. He peered through the side and waited a moment for the guard to catch up, watching as he passed by. When the sorcerer felt sure that the guard was far enough away, he hesitantly removed himself from behind the curtains and stepped back into the hallway. He looked behind himself, quickly being reassured at noticing the guard was out of sight. He sighed in relief and rushed back over to the three halls.

Cedric stopped in his tracks at reaching the different directions. Once more he stared down the left path. He did not see anyone at the end of its hallway, nor the dungeon's entrance. Cedric checked behind himself for any other people before starting down the hallway.

The art and statues throughout the hallway and walls were more than displeasing- they felt downright obnoxious. The Rudistan castle made Cedric feel grateful that King Roland was not so full of himself to litter the castle with self-portraits and murals at every turn. He had, on the other hand, noticed a couple of paintings that were not of Magnus, making them immensely more preferable.

One significantly larger painting towards the end of the hallway easily caught his eye as he approached. The painting displayed King Magnus seated on his royal throne. It appeared to be another self-portrait. Cedric came to a full stop when he noticed the corners of the painting went longer than the portrait itself, parts of the canvas hidden by red drapes. The sorcerer raised an eyebrow and reached for the left sheet, pulling it back to look at the contents underneath. He pulled the fabric aside and stepped back, looking up to see a depiction of Slickwell standing beside the throne.

This part of the portrait must have been covered after the jubilee. Cedric thought to himself. He looked at the other covered side of the painting, his curiosity peaking. He grabbed the edge of the drape and pulled it away from the canvas. Cedric stepped back once more and looked up at the painting. His eyes widened at seeing a painting of Greylock on the right side of the canvas.

While the entirety of the painting displayed impressive attention to detail, Cedric seemed more interested in the specific depiction of the other sorcerer. In the painting, the man was posing in a way that displayed his wand, holding it at an angle across his torso. Greylock was sporting his typical, charming grin and looked nearly unbothered with his position beside the king.

Cedric found himself staring at the painting for a bit too long to be considered on-task. Breaking his stare at the portrait, he removed himself away from the art altogether. He looked over at the stairs beside him and turned towards them. Cedric examined the stone bricks at the entrance that lined the sides of the open door frame. Peering in, he could see stairs below him. By the looks of it, it appeared as though the staircase spiraled down and had box-like corners.

Cedric felt hesitant to continue. What he was doing could get him in trouble- if not with one king, then certainly with the other. Even more likely, both. His heart was beating faster now as he became more and more aware of the risks he was taking. Cedric placed a hand on the side of the chilled opening, staring down intently at the stairs and wall.

The sorcerer raised a hand up towards his chin, biting down on the side of his index. At coming to the quick conclusion that he should draw his wand, his hand fell. Cedric leaned his right shoulder against the stone framing and removed his wand from his robe sleeve.

Did he have a spell in mind to use in case of trouble? No. He would… think of one on the way down. Multiple, if he could think quickly enough and apply the spells to whatever situation he may need. Cedric was sure he could do that. Probably. He hoped. The sorcerer whimpered, standing up straight and turning to look behind him before drawing his attention further once more. The coast was clear.

Cedric then let out a sigh before reasoning with himself. "Alright, I'm only going in for a chat," Cedric said aloud. "Th-There's no harm in chatting." He added in an attempt to calm himself. There absolutely could be, and he knew it. Considering he got this far, it would be foolish to go back now. And besides, his whole point in this was to see the flaws in Magnus' story on Greylock. He couldn't just let all of that sit in his mind if there was more to the story.

Cedric gulped. "Right, then." So he was doing this. The stairs to the dungeon seemed to welcome him with their ambiguity. Cedric took a step, the silence making the sound of his heel touching the stone very prominent. The sound seemed to have a slight ricochet from the walls.

Finally breaking his frozen position by the door, Cedric took a breath and, hesitantly, descended the stairs.