Chapter VI: A Revelation
Rowena had done her best to follow the young princess's advice. Instead of nagging at the moronic sorcerer, she would hold her tongue and merely sit in the shadows. However, she made absolutely sure that every time he went into the workroom, she was in his line of sight, hoping that whenever he saw her, he would remember what he should be doing.
It did not seem to be working. It had been a few days since Rebecca had stormed out, and Rowena was getting worried. Because there was something that neither she nor Becca had told Cedric. And with each day Rowena was not at her friend's side, she was certain that it would only get worse.
Cedric burst into his workroom, muttering incomprehensibly, and headed straight for his desk. Under the two animals' watchful eyes, he opened a large book, and flipped through the pages until he came upon the spell he apparently was looking for.
"Okay, now just to make sure…" he murmured. Then, he pointed a wand at an empty vial, and chanted, "Doppler duplicato!" A wavy beam of light shot out from the tip, and with an explosion of sparkles, a copy of the vial slid next to the original.
"Very good," Cedric praised himself, "but what of living objects?"
"What are you doing?" Rowena finally asked.
"Well, I can't be holed up in my room all the time," Cedric told her. "It may not happen often, but eventually, King Roland will ask for my abilities. If I copy myself, I can have one of me perform the duties of a Royal Sorcerer, and the other can… well, do whatever I want! Why am I explaining myself to you?" he ended with a huff.
Behind his back, Wormwood smirked. 'Still too stubborn to admit that he is actually trying to help his old friend?'
"But before I can even attempt to perform the spell on myself, I should make sure that it is safe to use on other live creatures." He cast a glance at the krait on the floor.
Rowena tensed. "Sorcerer, if you even think of casting that on me, you won't even see the bite coming!"
Cedric sneered. "Why would I duplicate you? As if I need two of you around. No, I'm thinking of someone more… loyal."
"Oh, no," the raven said, before pushing off of his perch.
Cedric whirled around, pointing at where his winged companion should have been, reciting his spell, and consequently duplicating the tall perch. When he realized he missed his intended target, he seethed, "Wormwood, what are you doing?"
"Saving my feathers," came the reply, "I don't need you to test your crazy spells on me!"
"Wormy, stay still!"
"I don't think so!" With that, he began to fly around the workroom, doing his best to avoid the multiple shots fired at him.
At that point, the door to the rest of the castle opened, and a maid carrying a tray walked in. "Good morning, Master Cedric! I've brought you your- Whoa!"
Wormwood took advantage of the open door, and zipped right out.
"Wormwood, you get back here!" Cedric cried, giving chase.
The poor maid stood in a daze, staring after the sorcerer. "I'll just put this here then, right?" she said weakly, placing the tray on the desk. Seconds later, she left, leaving the reptile alone in the tower.
"Well," she muttered, "I suppose I should be grateful that he's trying something for Becca."
Rowena settled herself in the shade some more, thinking about her human companion.
"Becca, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
The ginger had rolled her eyes with a smile. "Thanks, Ro, but I can talk to the guy. I'm sure it's just crazy rumors and he'll tease me for believing them. But something this serious has to be cleared up before they get too out of hand."
"How serious is it? Why won't you tell me what's been bothering you about him?"
"Ro, calm down. You know why. Besides, would you even take it seriously? You're always talking about how he doesn't taste right."
"Well, he doesn't!" Rowena responded, defensively.
"Which is something you've also said about Uncle, but that's just 'cause he wanted me to trade you for a cat."
"I'll never know why, cats are evil."
Rebecca had just laughed at her friend's words. "I'll be back before the sun goes down, Ro, and everything will be fine."
"But it wasn't…" Rowena sighed, back in the present. "I should have been with you then, and I should be with you now…"
She felt footsteps coming up the stairs, vibrations traveling through the stone no matter how softly the maker tried to tread. 'Hmm, a child, and… a rabbit, perhaps?'
The door slowly opened, and Princess Sofia peeked into the room, a fluffy bunny close behind her. She caught sight of the wall of wands across from her immediately, and brightened up. She shoved a stool up to the wall and grabbed the second one up. "Now maybe I can be in two places at once!" she cried triumphantly.
The rabbit looked at her quizzically. "How?"
"I'll make a copy of myself with Mr. Cedric's spell so that I could go to the dance, and my copy can play with Joy. That way, my dad's happy, I'm happy, everyone's happy!"
The rabbit nodded enthusiastically. "I like it!" he cried. Then he noticed the wand was pointed at him, and he gently guided it away, saying, "But that sounds like a tricky spell, especially for someone who's not a sorcerer."
Sofia thought for a second. "You're right, maybe I should practice it first."
The rabbit hopped up on the stool. "That's just what I'm saying! You gotta test it out on…" he looked around for a potential test subject. His ears perked up when he saw a perfect -and delicious- candidate on the breakfast tray the maid had left. "This apple!"
"Good idea!" Sofia praised.
Rowena stayed silent, curious to see if she could pull it off. Maybe, if she were capable, the princess could be the one to help Rebecca. She watched as the princess carefully aimed the borrowed wand at the fruit, with a look of determined concentration.
"Doppler duplicato!" she chanted, and the force of the spell caused her to fly back with a cry of surprise.
Rowena lifted her head in wonder as a form began to take shape and slide next to the juicy red apple. But it was quickly lowered in disappointment when she realized that it was not a perfect copy.
The rabbit sniffed the fruit cautiously. "That's funny," he commented. "It's pink, but it looks just as delicious! I think you got it, Princess! But," he added slyly, "we may need to make four or five more, just to make sure!"
Sofia giggled. "Sorry, Clover, I don't have much time. Here goes!" She raised the wand and pointed it at herself.
"I wouldn't," Rowena called out.
Sofia and Clover both jumped at the sound of the new voice, and the rabbit positively leapt onto the desk once the krait slid into view.
"Snake! There's a snake! Watch out, Sof!"
"It's okay, Clover, this is Rowena," Sofia explained, walking closer to the reptile to show the bunny everything was fine. "She's a friend of Mr. Cedric's."
"More like a friend of a friend," Rowena corrected. "And chill out, rabbit, you're far too big for my tastes."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Clover demanded.
"Simple, you're five times my size, so you're safe from me. Unless, of course," she added, with an evil glint in her eye, "you make me mad enough to bite." She smiled in satisfaction when she saw the furry creature shudder before turning back to the child, and repeating, "I wouldn't do that."
"Do what?" asked the princess.
"Cast that spell on yourself." Rowena nodded to the pink apple. "It's not a perfect match, so something went wrong."
"But, except for the color, it looks perfect," Sofia argued.
"Yes, except for the color," the krait agreed. "But that's enough of a hint. Trust me, Becca's messed up enough Transmutation spells for me to learn the signs. If it doesn't seem absolutely perfect at first glance, it's not, so try again. And again and again. You see those two vials on the sorcerer's desk?" She gave the other two a moment to study the glass bottles. "This morning, there was only one. But you can't tell which one's the original, right?"
"She's right, Clover…" the princess agreed, hesitation clear on her face. She glanced outside, and at the doll she brought in. "But I don't have time."
"Well, Sofia," the blue-ribbon bunny began, "the way I see it, the outside will just be a little pink. So she's not a perfect carbon copy, so what? The point is, she'll look enough like you to fool Lady Joy and her dad, and you can still go to the hubbub."
"Hootenanny," Sofia corrected. "And I guess you're right. Maybe it'll just be my outfit that will change?" she added hopefully.
Rowena sighed, and simply slithered away, deciding to bask in the sun once more. It was only Rebecca she was obligated to help, guide, and learn from; if the princess wished to play 'sorceress' to get out of her duties, then she will have to deal with the consequences on her own. Rowena had warned her. Twice. She had done more than her part.
"All right," Sofia said with determination. "Doppler duplicato!"
A bright flash of light, and a second Princess Sofia, wearing a pink dress, appeared next to the first.
Rowena's tongue flicked out instinctively, and she immediately shuddered. The air was filled with the taste of wrong. She slowly slid back into the shadows, planning to see and not be seen. After a short comedic introduction and a quick explanation, Princess Sofia left the tower.
"Have fun, kid!" Clover called out before taking a bite out of the pink apple. His face contorted into a grimace before spitting out the fruit. "This is rotten!" he declared with disgust.
"Uh-huh, just like me!" Sofia the Copy declared, an evil glint in her eye.
Rowena stayed still, poised to fight or flee, whichever would be in her best interest. She silently watched as the rotten princess scooped up the bunny and plopped him into a birdcage hanging in the rafters. She would not even allow him the good apple, snatching it away from him and waving it in his face before exiting the room to cause havoc in the castle.
"I told her not to," Rowena said faux-casually as she slid into sight once more. "Twice."
"Yeah, yeah, we should've listened," Clover sullenly muttered. Then his ears perked up and he swiveled to look at the snake. "But never mind that now! You gotta go out there and warn the real Sofia!"
"Rabbit."
"Clover."
"Whatever. I don't know this castle. I've only been here a few days, and the only rooms I've seen are the kitchens and this one. I don't know the route to anywhere. How am I to find the princess and warn her?"
"Well then how about you go find Cedric and get him to fix this bad apple situation?"
"If I can't find the princess, what makes you think I'll find the sorcerer?"
"Just follow the stench of incompetence, and I'm sure you'll find him."
If Rowena had brows, she would raise them. She had seen firsthand the sorcerer's irritating personality and failure at social cues. But, his magical ability seemed competent enough. Why the certainty in his incapability for magic? Certainly, he was definitely better than Rebecca, and that was very hard to admit, even in her own head.
"Actually, just follow the sounds of frustrated screaming, frightened bird calls, and the tons of duplicated objects in the hall."
"Fine, I'll find the sorcerer and let him know what's going on. Maybe he'll fix the princess's mistake before anyone notices."
"And, maybe, get someone to get me out of here? Please?"
Rowena regarded him silently. "I'll see what I can do." She slipped underneath the crack under the door, and started slowly tumbling down the stairs.
Once she reached the bottom, she began to taste the air for an idea where to find the sorcerer. Although, the rabbit was right; she only had to follow the mess of copied objects. Staying close to the walls and keeping out of sight - she did not need a maid scared out of her wits at this moment - she followed the chaos, and soon could hear the squawks and shrieks that the fluff-butt had mentioned.
Eventually, she came across the sorcerer standing alone in the hallways with eyes closed, shouting, "I wish for the Amulet of Avalor!" He opened his eyes with a look of expectancy, head swiveling around in search of something. A pause and a blink later, he muttered in disbelief, "Did Princess Sofia just… trick me?"
"What's the Amulet of Avalor?" Rowena asked as she slithered next to him.
The sorcerer yelped and jumped about a foot in the air at her voice. "What are you doing down here?" he demanded to know. "You're going to get me in trouble if anyone sees you!"
Rowena decided to ignore the question. "Did you see a pink clad princess a few moments ago?" she asked instead.
"Yes, I did," Cedric muttered. "I must say, even though the princess does have a playful and mischievous side, I've never known her to be so…"
"Rotten?" the snake supplied.
"Well, that's a word for it, I suppose."
"It's not the princess you know," she said flatly.
Cedric blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"
"Apparently, this princess is not always as mature as I've been told. She attempted a duplicating spell on herself and she ended up creating an evil clone."
Cedric straightened up. "Are you telling me, Princess Sofia snuck into my tower, used one of my spells to get out of her duties, and now she has a doppelganger running loose about the castle?"
"Yep. And there's a bunny caged up in your tower, too. He'd like out ASAP."
"The Princess of Goody-goodies did something such as that?"
"Yes, try to keep up."
"I find that hard to believe," the sorcerer declared, crossing his arms.
"She's a nine-year-old child, human!" Rowena snapped. "Children are selfish at times, and make mistakes because of that. The princess wished to go to some village dance, and saw an opportunity to do so without breaking some promise to her father. But, again, child. She botched up the spell, and now I'm certain things are not going to go well for her."
Cedric hummed in thought. "If that was the copy of the princess, I suppose that explains her apparent willingness to easily part with her amulet… Hmm, and the change in her usual attire." He gave a sigh. "Of course, it'd be too simple if it were really her. I should've known something was up immediately… How did I miss that?"
Rowena's patience was wearing thin. "Hey! Are you going to do something about it, or are you going to just stand there and mutter like an overwrought nanny?"
"Yes, of course I'll do something!" Cedric snapped. "If I don't, I'm bound to be blamed for an evil princess prancing about!"
Wormwood called out from a hallway table. "Tell him he'd better do something about all this clutter as well, then, before someone breaks their neck tripping over everything."
Rowena glared at the raven. "Don't think of me as your translator, feather head. I won't always pass along your little messages. He says you'd best get rid of the other junk before it kills someone."
"Yes, yes, of course," the sorcerer said distractedly. Still inside his own head, he began walking back towards the tower, pointing at duplicated objects and removing them from existence as he went along.
"Did the spell become a disaster because it was cast improperly, or because it was cast on a live object?" he suddenly asked.
"I don't know," Rowena replied, slithering beside him. "She had cast it on an apple before, and that was rotten as well."
"Hmm, yes, well the apple did indeed used to be alive," Cedric muttered to himself. "Perhaps I ought to try that myself, first."
"Well, that would have been a wonderful idea nearly an hour ago!" Wormwood huffed.
As soon as Cedric returned to his tower, he freed Clover from his tiny prison, and began to brainstorm on how to lure the fake princess to her demise.
"Maybe I can tempt her with a cupcake," he surmised. "All little girls like cupcakes."
"I don't think this particular little girl cares what you'll offer her, she'll just throw it back in your face," Rowena deadpanned. "Why not just go look for her, and then cast the counter-spell?"
"This is a rather large castle," Cedric snapped. "I'd rather not search for hours on end when she could be anywhere doing who knows what! Now, if I were an evil, prankster princess, where would I be?"
"Possibly doing the worst possible damage," Wormwood muttered. "Making a fool of yourself in front of the king."
"What did he say?" Cedric asked Rowena.
"I am not an animal translator!" Rowena hissed. "But he said you would probably be at the king's side, doing damage."
Cedric's eyes lit up. "Of course! Near King Roland, it would be easy to paint Princess Sofia as horrible, which is just what a doppelganger was made to do!"
With that, he rushed outside of his workshop, leaving the two animal companions alone together.
"So, what's the Amulet of Avalor?" Rowena asked.
"No idea," replied Wormwood.
After nearly an hour of silence, Cedric returned, looking rather fatigued. "I ended up having to chase her all around the castle," he complained. "I hadn't run that much since I was a student. Fortunately, the princess herself was there to own up to her mistakes, and King Roland didn't blame me for anything."
Rowena almost spluttered. But she did manage to say, "She owned up? Admitted her mistake? A young child swallowed any shame she would have, and took full blame?"
Cedric narrowed his eyes at the krait. "It's not so hard to believe," he said. "A child she may be, but the princess has proven time and time again that her age belies her maturity."
"And what does that say about you?!" Rowena shrieked. "A grown man who refuses to talk to an old classmate in need due to a misunderstanding? Becca is out there, suffering from depression and nightmares, and now she's all alone with no one to comfort her! If you actually plan on helping her, talk to her! She had said that knowing the story would-"
"Did you say nightmares?" Cedric interrupted.
Rowena snapped her mouth shut, before grudgingly replying, "Yes, ever since she came home cursed, she's had frequent nightmares. She'd be too scared to tell me what they were about, but-"
"Rebecca's only ever had nightmares after…" Cedric muttered to himself, clearly not listening to the snake. "Oh, Finnegan's Fungus… this is not good. I've got to break that spell!"