Chapter Text
The Kingdom of Enchancia was a fairly large and prosperous one. A peaceful land with a rather happy population. It had good relations with its neighbors and diplomatic connections that stretched even as far as Avalor. There was the occasional issue of an evil fairy or sorcerer lashing out, but that was an issue that most kingdoms had to contend with to varying degrees. For the most part, it was considered a good place to live with fair and approachable royalty.
The castle reflected the kingdom’s prosperous state. A beautiful and impressive structure. And even set out on a small island, a hint of how in less peaceful times it also served as a fortress in the distant past, it contained rather expansive grounds.
A full moon shone own on those impressive castle grounds. Multiple gardens. Several different fountains scattered around. Even a small, wooded area where the resident wildlife could dwell peacefully. Plenty of space to hide away a few secrets. Many of them magical in nature.
One such secret was an ancient statue tucked out of sight. The features worn by centuries of rain and wind, moss growing in patches on it, and left in the middle of the wooden section, it was easy to mistake it for a tall rock. Only a closer look would reveal the shape of a hooded figure. The hood and bowed head hid the face, but the dress under her carved cloak at least revealed that the statue was of a woman. A few people, several squirrels, and countless sparrows had encountered the stone figure over the years, but non really paid close attention or cared about it after they left. As far as they were concerned, it was simply another forgotten feature of the castle grounds that had stood there for three hundred years.
Exactly three hundred years that night.
As pale moonlight streamed down through the trees and the world slept peacefully, magic lost its hold as an ancient spell finally broke. Stone melted into nothing, giving way to cloth, shadow, and flesh. Leaving behind a living person now freed from a rather long-lived curse.
She took a deep breath as she pushed back the hood of her cloak, smiling at the fresh air and moonlight. It was amazing what simple pleasures were missed. Even without being truly aware of the world around her while petrified, she knew that it had been a long time since she could last enjoy such things. She wanted a moment to savor her freedom.
But she knew that she couldn’t linger too long. She had too much to do.
“Erebus,” she said firmly, nearly commanding. “Gather my belongings. You know where I kept them. I doubt that they found all that I have collected over the years, no matter how thorough they may have searched. You should also do some basic scouting before gathering your companions. I need to know what we are facing.”
Her cloak melted into the darkness from which it was formed, sliding away from her body. A shadow once more instead of a solid shape. He wouldn’t disappoint her. By morning, she would have everything that she needed to pick up right where she left off three hundred years ago.
They might claim that time heals all wounds, but her broken heart, the feeling of betrayal, and her rage had not lessened over the centuries. If anything, they’d had a chance to fester and grow. Those responsible might be long dead, but that didn’t matter. Prince Edmund made a vow to his bride that day, but she made a very different one. And she fully intended to uphold that vow.
Malvolia would wipe out the entire bloodline of the royal family of Enchancia.
Cedric would consider it to be a rather productive morning. He managed to restock several ingredients for his supplies that he’d been running low on, brewed a rather tricky illumination potion, and had a brief meeting with King Roland about some planned upcoming visiting royalty who would be staying a few days for trade discussions.
It was nice that he was giving Cedric nearly a month’s advanced notice in order to plan any magical changes to the castle or demonstrations that might delight their guests. He had a few ideas already that might work, but he wanted to really impress them. Living up to his new title of Cedric the Great meant he really needed to step up. So a month to research would help.
But he wasn’t nervous or anxious about it. That had surprised him when he realized it. Despite the pressure of trying to impress all of that royalty for an extended period of time, Cedric was confident that he could do it. And even King Roland thought that he could handle it.
He’d come a long way from a bungler and the worst Royal Sorcerer that the kingdom ever had.
After a quick mental debate, he decided to slip down to the kitchen to see if he could snag a quick snack for lunch. Just because he was perfectly capable of producing a meal via magic didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate a delicious meal or a treat made other ways. Besides, some of the apple crops were in and he thought he remembered overhearing someone mention apple tarts.
But with his thoughts occupied, Cedric wasn’t prepared to turn a corner and immediately collide with a much shorter figure. He stumbled and flailed briefly as he tried to regain his balance without falling on top of her. But eventually everything stabilized enough that no one ended up flat on their faces.
“In a hurry, Princess?” he asked, brushing off his sleeves.
“Sorry, Mr. Cedric.”
Now that she wasn’t a purple blur trying to knock him down, he could notice a few more details about Sofia’s appearance. Namely that she wasn’t in one of her normal dresses. It was a shorter dress that came down to a point in the center with leggings underneath. She had a cloak along with boots and gloves. And in addition to her ever-present Amulet of Avalor, she was wearing her more recent Enchantlet around her wrist. Since Cedric was present when she received the outfit alongside the honor of being a Protector of the Ever Realm, he knew exactly what her clothing choice meant. And the fact that she was carrying several of her own apple tarts on a plate was a lesser concern to him than the way she and her loyal rabbit companion were glancing around in case anyone else saw her.
“Let me guess,” he said slowly. “You were summoned for your duties as a Protector early this morning. But it was dangerous enough that you don’t want your parents to know and ask about it because you don’t want to lie or worry them. So you snuck back into the castle, grabbed some food as you passed the kitchen, and now want to get back to your room to change before anyone else notices what you’re wearing.”
“It wasn’t that dangerous,” said Sofia quietly.
“Really?”
“Mom and Dad just worry a lot about me when I go places now. I think they’re still not used to everything. And I don’t want them to worry.”
“Understandable.” Smiling faintly, he said, “How about you share one of those apple tarts with me and then get back to sprinting to your room to put your Protector things away? And I’ll pretend that we didn’t bump into each other this morning. Quite literally in this case. But if no one else knows that you weren’t here this morning and just assume you were out with your animal friends, they’ll have no reason to ask about your whereabouts. Which means you won’t have to worry your parents over nothing. Especially if it ‘wasn’t that dangerous.’”
“It wasn’t. I was mostly helping Chrysta with something. The rockslide didn’t even get close to us.”
“Stop,” said Cedric, closing his eyes and purposefully trying not to imagine what she was describing. “It will be much easier to plead ignorance if you don’t give me any details.”
And it wouldn’t do her much good to stop her parents from worrying if she ended up stressing out Cedric instead. He knew that she was capable and tougher than she appeared, but it was only a few months ago that they’d all faced the real possibility of her being trapped in her amulet forever. The encounter with Vor could have taken Sofia from them. The experience had left everyone who cared about her a bit more anxious and protective.
“All right,” she said, handing over the apple tart. “I think Clover will survive without one of these. And I guess I better get going before someone else sees me.” As she turned to hurry away, Sofia called out, “Thanks, Mr. Cedric.”
“You’re welcome,” he said quietly despite knowing that she wouldn’t hear him.
With his snack situation sorted out, there was no further need for a detour to the kitchen. Cedric ate his apple tart as he headed back out towards his tower. Though he tried not to leave a trail of crumbs along the way. He didn’t want to give the staff extra work and he certainly didn’t need Baileywick’s comments on it.
Cedric had definitely had a productive morning. And a rather pleasant one. He was even humming to himself by the time that he made it back. Everything seemed to be going right.
Then he opened the door and found someone already in his workshop.
Too startled by the intrusion to say anything or react, Cedric could only sputter and stare. He only allowed a handful of people in there and he certainly didn’t trust strangers around his magical supplies unsupervised. But there was someone in there, acting like she belonged there as she casually flipped through the pages of one of his books.
She was a beautiful young lady, which might be part of the reason that he felt flustered. Attractive, but Cedric mostly felt unnerved for reasons that he couldn’t explain. Her braided blonde hair ran down her back and swung slightly as she walked, pacing the room as she examined the book. Her eyes were dark and her features appeared rather delicate; a small nose and mouth on a soft oval face. But there was strength beneath the elegant and soft appearance.
The style of the gown seemed simple, like something from the village rather than what nobility would choose. Not that Cedric was a fashion expert. But the bright red-orange gown with the long flowing sleeves, the red embroidery of geometric designs along the hemline, and the dark woven leather belt cinched around the middle didn’t resemble anything that Princess Amber would be interested in. And yet she carried herself with the confidence of one used to being the most powerful person in the room.
She was beautiful by any standard, but something in Cedric warned against her. He didn’t trust the stranger in his tower. Because he knew for certain that he’d never met the woman before in his life. And yet, there was something familiar about her. Like he’d seen her before. That familiarity nagged at him even as Cedric did his best to reclaim his tongue.
After a few stammering attempts to get past the unnerving experience of his workshop being invaded by a strange and yet familiar woman, Cedric finally demanded, “What are you doing in my tower? Who do you think you are?”
She looked up calmly from the book. Not one of his spell books. The record of the all the Royal Sorcerers of Enchancia. Not what he would expect someone to break into his tower to read. But the realization of what she was reading nagged at him. It meant something. A hint.
But Cedric couldn’t focus on it because now she was studying him with an uncomfortable amount of focus. Like she was searching for his secrets. Or trying to determine his general worth.
“You are the current Royal Sorcerer, Cedric the Sensational,” she said, not quite a question or a statement.
“Well, actually it’s Cedric the Great now. We just haven’t got around to updating the records on that since it’s so recent. It’s been a busy few months.”
“From a long and continuous line of Royal Sorcerers, correct? All the way from Luca.”
That unnerving feeling only worsened. As did the sense that he knew her. It wasn’t that he recognized her voice, a confident and strong one with a slight accent that hinted that she originally came from somewhere much further up the coast. No, it wasn’t the voice. But what she was saying still jolted at memories. Trying to pry something loose. He just couldn’t place her. Why did he recognize her? Who was she?
“Time may have passed, but things do not change it would seem,” she scoffed, shaking her head. “Those born into wealth and power continue to rule, only caring for those of royal blood. Seeing all others as merely useful on occasion. And those who earn and wield true power continue to serve and fawn for kings. As if they could keep their thrones and kingdoms without our magic. But nothing we do will ever be enough for them. We will never be given what we deserve. What we might earn through years of service and loyalty will be stolen away to gift to a foreign princess simply because she was born to the right family. Not because of anything that she has done or earned on her own. Not because she deserves him.” Her dark eyes met Cedric, her expression hungry and a little manic. “Tell me, nephew. Do you not tire of not having that which should be yours? Do you not want more than their scraps of reward when they deny you your heart’s desire?”
Recognition had finally struck hard midway through her small speech. Stealing way his breath and leaving him barely able to think. Cedric had only ever seen her as a black-and-white sketch in the book that she was currently holding. Not to mention that she disappeared centuries ago. No wonder he didn’t quite recognize her in real life at first.
“You’re Malvolia the Malevolent,” he said, barely believing the words coming out of his mouth. “My aunt.”
Well, there were probably about a dozen “greats” involved if he wanted to be accurate. They were fairly distant relatives. But more importantly, she was the very first Royal Sorceress of Enchancia and the one who tried to wipe out the royal family at a wedding because at-the-time-Prince Edmund didn’t love her back. And it didn’t sound like she was over that rejection.
“Malvolia the Malevolent? Is that what they call me now?” she asked thoughtfully. “I suppose they would see me as their enemy. But those who are my enemy rarely stand against me for long. The borders of Enchancia grew many times during the reign of King Alastor the Third. I am the one who ensured it.”
“I believe you,” said Cedric.
He was quietly thankful that he brought the family wand to the meeting with King Roland that morning instead of one of his spares. He might be able to talk her down, but Cedric wasn’t hopeful. And a sorcerer’s duel would already be dangerous and almost certainly one-sided. The stories bragged about her power and capabilities. At least he had a slightly better chance with the more powerful wand if it came to that. And with it hidden up his sleeve, he might even be able to surprise her.
He could only hope.
“I heard the story about what happened back then,” he continued carefully. Cedric tried to think about what Sofia might say in order to reach the sorceress. “I am sorry that you ended up with a broken heart.”
“He was mine,” she shouted, tossing aside the book. “I saved his life. I brought his future throne glory and riches. I snuffed out the kingdom’s enemies. I devoted my life to doing all that was needed, serving the royal family. Because Prince Edmund was mine. I earned him. And yet he spurned my affections to wed another?” Her voice dropped into a ruthless hiss. “No, my nephew. If I am denied what is my right, then I will destroy what I once defended. Every act I took against others to support and build their kingdom, I will deliver against them a hundredfold. I will wring every drop of their blood from this land. From respected elder to the babe resting in their mother’s arms, I will not allow a single trace of Prince Edmund’s line to survive.”
Well, the stories hadn’t exaggerated. Malvolia had no hesitation when it came to declaring her intentions concerning revenge. Her very scary and murderous intentions.
Vor wanted to conquer and rule, her revenge built upon the concept of controlling her enemies or claiming everything that they once held dear. She wanted them alive to suffer or to be used. Malvolia was different. More straightforward and direct. She wanted destruction, death, and revenge of a more visceral nature.
“Well, everything happened a very long time ago and everyone else involved are all dead,” he said slowly. “And I’m sure if you think about it for a moment, you’ll agree that—”
“That between the two of us, they won’t stand a chance.”
Cedric jolted suddenly, yelping, “What?”
“We are family, nephew. And you have labored under the oppressive yoke of their demands for long enough.” She hurried over and took his hands, smiling encouragingly. “You deserve freedom from those who do not appreciate our power, our hard work, and our years of service. We deserve more. Their birthright is not greater than the power that we wield. They should cower and beg at our feet. What is it that you desire, Cedric? What have you more than earned, but they continue to deny you? Perhaps respect, power, and prestige? Things of that nature? Help me destroy the entire bloodline and the empty throne is yours. I have no taste for ruling, but I would not mind rewarding my family as I see fit. Imagine it, nephew. A sorcerer king. And I will ensure that none shall challenge your claim.”
He couldn’t help the small gasp or the way that he stiffened at the offer. He could practically hear Wormwood shouting at him to accept. It was everything that he once believed that he wanted. Everything that he’d plotted and schemed to achieve, but stripped of any comforting lies about what it would require to truly claim his prize.
“You know, if you’d asked me four years ago, I would have instantly accepted without objections,” he said quietly. “I would like to think that eventually I would have tried to stop when it really sank in what you would do to them, but I don’t know…”
He shook his head as he slipped his hands out of hers. Malvolia frowned slightly as he took a step back.
“If you’d asked me even a year ago, I would have hesitated. I would have had a harder time agreeing, but I would have given in,” he continued. “At least for a while.”
Cedric shifted his wrist, letting his wand subtly slide down his sleeve and into his hand. But she didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy staring at his face with unnerving intensity.
“But now,” he said firmly, “I’m not even tempted. I already have everything that I could ever want. And I am truly sorry that he didn’t love you back, but that is no excuse to kill anyone, let alone innocent people who weren’t even born yet. And as the Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia, I cannot allow you to harm the royal family.”
Tightening his grip on the wand as he yanked it up, a spell on his tongue, Cedric’s attempted surprise attack was interrupted as something dark slammed into him hard enough to knock the sorcerer to the floor. The dark shape stayed on top of him for a moment as something clamped tightly around his wrists. Then it was gone, retreating back as Cedric tried to figure out what just happened.
There was a dark figure rising up from the floor next to Malvolia. Changing from an ordinary flat shadow, albeit one without a source, into something more solid and real. At first it resembled the shape of a gargoyle, then a wombeast, and finally a rather large feline. That was the one it stayed with for the moment. And no matter the shape it took, it maintained the appearance of darkness with only glowing white eyes.
A shadow given substance, flexible in shape and easily capable of melting back into the flat shadows. Cedric recognized the description.
A shadow beast.
As Cedric tried to push himself back to his feet, he heard the clanking of metal and reluctantly looked down. Heavy metal manacles were clamped on his wrists with a thick chain attaching them together. He had enough length for most basic movement, but he couldn’t spread his arms out in any dramatic declarations. There were no keyholes or hinges in the dark metal. He couldn’t even see a line where they could open. But he did see a white gemstone mounted into each manacle, glowing faintly.
He also still had his wand in his hand. The fact that they didn’t take it from Cedric when they had the chance did not bode well.
“Well done, Erebus,” said Malvolia.
The shadow beast growled quietly, the glowing eyes glaring at Cedric as he slowly stood back up. She briefly scratched Erebus’s ears, the feline-shaped creature leaning into the contact without ever looking away from the sorcerer.
“I know, Erebus. Neither of us held high hopes of it turning out differently,” she said, shaking her head. “But he is both a fellow sorcerer suffering under the reign of fools who believe themselves to be our betters and he is family. I felt obligated to offer him a chance to make the right decision.”
He suspected that it wouldn’t work and the angle was awkward, but Cedric managed to point his wand at one of the manacles and gave a tiny swirl.
“Aperta cincinno,” he muttered.
And absolutely nothing happened. The manacles not only didn’t unlock, but nothing else happened either. No magical blunders or mishaps. He could still feel the magical potential; any sorcerer had to be more familiar with the feeling than the average person and the way that it felt to draw on their magic, especially when working with more finicky spells. But even if he could feel it, the magic wasn’t responding to Cedric’s attempt at all. Like he was cut off from it.
A very unnerving and uncomfortable state. Even when his magic produced unreliable results, it was still there. It still responded somehow. He didn’t like the disconnect.
“Oh, is that… It is Luca’s wand. I would recognize it anywhere. It still has the small twig attached. Have you turned it into a family heirloom? Not that it will help you, nephew. I collected the Chains of Binding ages ago and they have never failed me,” said Malvolia, waving her hand dismissively. “There have always been those who fear the most powerful, but who wished to control that power rather than destroy it. No spell nor magical artifact will work by your hand. The only magic that you can perform is what I allow and the manacles can only be removed by another.” She smiled like a hungry predator. “I learned the importance of disarming enemy sorcerer during past conquests. These should keep you out of trouble.”
“You won’t get away with this, Malvolia,” he said, trying not to sound like he was panicking. “You have no idea what you’re facing.”
Stepping closer as Erebus watched, Malvolia said, “I have some notion of what I will encounter. The foolish king on his throne, his wife, his heir, and his two daughters. Erebus already informed me.”
In his more pedantic moments, Cedric would have corrected her that Amber was next in line, not James. Things had changed in three hundred years. But he was too focused on the implications that she was including the children in her revenge plans. She was including Sofia.
“You can’t,” he said, trying to lunge forward—
—only to draw up short when her wand was abruptly aimed at him. A long wand that came to a sharp point like a knitting needle, crafted of dark wood, covered in elaborate geometric carvings, and polished until it gleamed. And perfectly capable of reducing him to a greasy smear on the floor if he got in the way of her revenge scheme. Likely the only reason that she didn’t do that the moment he rejected her offer was because they were family.
“Though I suppose it would not hurt if I were to gather more knowledge than what Erebus could glean from the shadows,” she continued. “Many things have changed since I walked the castle halls. And the most successful battles are those where you know your enemy best. I shall make use of your knowledge of these people, Cedric.”
Scowling, he snapped, “Never. I won’t help you hurt them.”
“I disagree.” Her wand moving in a quick and complicated pattern, Malvolia said, “Tenetur honestas!”
Cold metal appeared, coiling around his neck and making Cedric jump in surprise. Both of his hands flew up to grab at it, the sudden motion jangling the chains he was already wearing. Smooth metal now formed a wide band wrapped around his neck, tight enough not to slide easily up and down and yet not tight enough to completely strangle him. Though it was certainly uncomfortable. Like the manacles, he couldn’t feel any way to remove it. The metal was solid without a flaw. But his fingers did find some type of gem set at the front of the collar.
A collar. Like he was a pet.
“Now, I will make you answer my questions,” she said, “And the spell will ensure that I hear only the truth. I have dealt with enough liars in the past and do not intend to speak with more of the same. We will start simply, nephew. Where would the royal family be at this hour?”
He glared at her silently. He had no intention of answering that. He knew where Sofia and King Roland were at the moment and could make educated guesses on the others, but there was only one person more stubborn than him. And that person wasn’t his evil murderous ancestor.
After a moment, Malvolia frowned and twitched her wand towards the collar. Then Cedric yelped as a brief pain jolted through him. It only lasted for a quick flash, but it left him flailing and jangling.
“Oh, that’s not fair,” he complained, tugging at the metal. “That really stings.”
“Cease behaving like a child. It did you no true harm. It was a simple warning. The Royal Sorcerer should not be this soft.” Malvolia crossed her arms. “Now answer the question, Cedric.”
Straightening up, Cedric opened his mouth to lie. To claim that King Roland and his family would have just left for a visit to another kingdom and wouldn’t return for a few days. Anything to buy them some time and give him a chance to figure a way out of his current predicament.
Except the instant that he tried to speak, the band suddenly tightened around his throat. Painfully tight. Suffocatingly tight. Cedric dropped to his knees, clawing at the collar silently. He couldn’t even make a sound. He could only thrash at the collar as his lungs screamed for air. Struggling to breathe. Panicking as his chest burned, fighting and failing inhale. His head swam as dots appeared in his vision. Terror, desperation, and pain. And all the while, Malvolia coldly watched him as the collar strangled him.
But just as he thought he would either pass out or his chest would burst from the futile struggle, the metal abruptly loosened. And Cedric gasped desperately for air, coughing and choking on it in his hurry. He’d collapsed on his hands and knees at some point and he remained there as he kept coughing and panting, focused solely on how good it felt to breathe again. He barely noticed how much his throat throbbed from the abuse. But he knew there would be bruises. The room slowly stopped spinning and his vision cleared. He didn’t know how long that he stayed hunched over like that. But it felt like it was a while.
Long enough that Erebus apparently grew tired of waiting because the shadow beast abruptly yanked his head up to face Malvolia again.
“I warned you to be honest. The spell will only allow you to speak the truth,” she said. “I may punish you for stubborn silence, but it will punish you for lies. Now, if you are quite finished testing my patience, tell me where they are likely to be at this hour. Prince Edmund’s bloodline has continued for far too long.”