Obscure

Summary: Cedric and Sofia finally discover the final link that connects their nightmares, and together they must confront the one who's been tormenting them. But things aren't going to be easy for them, and they'll have to learn how to be strong together to overcome their biggest obstacle: the truth. *carried over from "Lavender Legend"*

Disclaimer: I do not own "Sofia the First."

A/N: Okay… Here's the final part in my "nightmare" chain, if you want to call it that. Lol. There is a set of stories that led up to this point: "Princess2Princess," "Shaken," "Shadow," and "Lavender Legend: Secrets of Avalor." This story will make references to previous stories; I just wanted to mention that, so hopefully that clarifies a few things. :) There are two original characters in here, both seen in the end of "Lavender Legend." One is the "mysterious woman," whose name you'll learn here; the other is her assistant named "Payó," who is the one who does all the dirty work for her. ;) Hope you enjoy! Thanks to those who've stuck with me on this journey! PS—Due to the length of this story and because of my work schedule, I HAD to split it into chapters. :D

Chapter 1: Fade to Red

It's amazing how little attention some of the guards paid at night. One would think after the incident with Princess Ivy last fall, they'd be a bit more on guard. Then again, all it took was one brief moment of letting down their guards for someone to sneak by, virtually unseen…except by a few lightning bugs perhaps.

Sofia was asleep in her bed, her breathing evened out and her mind completely at ease for once. No dreams had come to her for the last few nights, but she wasn't necessarily upset about that. No dreams at all would be better than the incessant nightmarish dreams that had plagued her for far too long.

The princess's face contorted into one of discomfort as the shadowy figure from earlier placed a hand over her amulet, causing it to glow red instead of purple like it usually did. The girl mumbled something and appeared as though she were about to cry, and that's when the hand retracted and the figure disappeared.

Sofia sat up, gasping, and looked around. She could have sworn someone had just been with her. She looked down at her amulet and stared at it with wide eyes. Red. It was red. "Oh, no… Mr. Cedric!" Quicker than she'd ever managed, she fled her room to the sorcerer's tower.

Cedric had once again fallen asleep at his desk. The last few nights of working had taken their toll, and he'd not quite made it to his bed tonight. Wormwood had fallen asleep hours ago, and he'd not noticed Cedric's current sleeping position.

The same shadowy figure hovered over the sorcerer now, its hand brushing the pages of Lavender Legend: Secrets of Avalor. A few of the words that had not been visible several nights ago now reappeared.

The door slammed open. "Mr. Cedric!"

The figure vanished in a flash, but Sofia had seen it…whatever it was.

Cedric bolted up and winced as he knocked his head against the wall in his haste. He glanced toward the door in confusion and frowned. "Sofia, what are you-?" He blinked when she hurried over to him and hugged him. "What's going on?"

"Someone was in here…" She looked around cautiously, her blue eyes scanning every inch of the tower. "…I don't see anything though." She then looked back toward him worriedly. "Something is really wrong."

He blinked as she held up her amulet, which was glowing an ominous red color. "When did that happen?"

"It was like this when I woke up. And I started having bad dreams again…but only for a few minutes." She sighed as her mentor observed the amulet curiously. "What are we going to do, Mr. Cedric?"

Cedric stood and took the girl's hand, leading her toward the door. "We're going to figure this out, I promise. But right now, you need some more rest. Neither of us can do anything if we're not fully alert."

"Oh, I'm pretty alert right now," she countered, shivering. "I don't like this at all, Mr. Cedric…" She glanced toward him. "Will you go with me back to my room? Please?"

He hesitantly nodded. "Very well." He shut the door behind them and descended the stairs with the princess.

Wormwood, meanwhile, never stirred from his sleep.

Sofia checked every inch of her room and behind every piece of furniture she owned before climbing into her bed. She stared down at her amulet in dismay, realizing it was still red. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know," Cedric admitted as he gathered her covers and drew them up for her. "Perhaps I…" No, he couldn't suggest that. She'd already hesitated quite a few times in the past when he'd requested to see the amulet to help her out…even if that hadn't been his original intent. Now when for once it was, he couldn't bring himself to outright ask her.

However, Sofia seemed to latch onto his meaning and grasped the amulet, frowning. "Mr. Cedric, you've fixed my amulet before… Do you think you could…do it again?"

He needed to be truthful with her… "Um… To be perfectly honest, Sofia, I don't know… I mean, I could try, but…I have no guarantee."

She unfastened the amulet and gazed at it, wishing she could figure out what was wrong with her precious gem. She looked up and took Cedric's gloved hand, dropping the amulet into his grasp. "If anyone can help me…you can."

'Oh, don't do that,' he thought with a sigh, realizing she was putting her trust in him again. Maybe it wasn't so bad… Maybe things would be okay. He held tight to the amulet and nodded toward her. "I'll see what I can do." He hesitated to leave now, especially with everything that had gone on that night. "Sofia…"

"Mr. Cedric, be careful." She smiled gently at him, trying to reassure him. "I'll be all right. And I'll see you in the morning."

"Don't you have school in the morning?" he corrected, frowning in confusion.

She shook her head. "The fairies and other staff members have meetings for the next few days, so we're supposed to stay home." She smiled wryly. "Lucky us, huh?"

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. "All right. Get some sleep, Princess." He left the room, shutting the door behind him as he headed toward his workshop again.

Sofia sighed and buried herself in the covers, attempting to urge herself to sleep and not worry about the amulet, the shadowy figure, and her mentor. It wasn't working, but she still managed to drift to sleep a few minutes later.

Cedric entered his workshop and closed his door before walking to his desk, sitting down, and dropping the amulet on it. He rested one elbow on the wooden surface and stared at the now-red jewel, his eyes scrutinizing the very being of it.

Wormwood yawned and opened his eyes before fluttering over to Cedric's shoulder. He gasped as he looked at the familiar piece of jewelry. "Is that what I think it is?!" He beamed. "You did it! You finally did it! …Wait, why is it red?" He gaped at Cedric. "You didn't."

Cedric waved a hand at his raven and frowned. "Not now, Wormy. Princess Sofia has asked me to guard her amulet and see what's wrong with it."

The bird made a sound of disapproval and groaned. "I should have known you didn't successfully steal it. Maybe I should be the leader of our little team from now on, hmm? …So, why is it red?"

The sorcerer reached up and took the book he needed, opening it to the page with Sofia's amulet on it. He searched and searched but couldn't find anything on it changing colors, specifically red. He sighed. "I just don't know what to do…" He slammed the book shut and shoved it away. "Even if I were to keep the amulet in my possession, there's no way I could actually use it now. Plus, what about Sofia?"

"What about her? The dear little princess has had more than enough luck and blessings with it by now. She should share!" Wormwood grinned. "Right?"

"I can't let her down." Cedric stood and picked up the amulet again, watching as a disgruntled Wormwood set off and landed on his perch once more. "Oh, lighten up, Wormy. Believe it or not, this is bigger than trying to rule the kingdom and make a point. I'm afraid this is far more serious…and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

Wormwood hummed. "Especially Sofia."

"Especially Sofia."

The bird rolled his eyes. "I knew it." He yawned. "Well, I'm going back to sleep. Don't wake me up till you decide that you're actually going to use that stupid amulet for a useful reason." With that he went back to sleep.

Cedric considered leaving the amulet in his workshop, but Wormwood had seemed a bit on edge. It wasn't that he didn't trust his companion, but with it acting as strangely as it was, he figured it would be best to keep it in his possession at all times. But he had one rule: do not wear it. He'd found that out the hard way last time…

He instead wrapped the amulet in a piece of white fabric, tied it off, and held it tightly as he finally managed to go to sleep.

"Excellent work, Payó," the mysterious blonde woman from earlier cooed as her servant entered into their undetermined location an hour later. She smiled at the brown-haired man, who bowed lowly.

"Lady Deyanira," he greeted solemnly as he stood upright. "I apologize it took so long. Finding that amulet wasn't easy. Locating the book wasn't either."

"Payó, what have I told you before?" She stepped down from her makeshift throne, an antique golden chair with rubies encrusted in the structure, and folded her arms. "You must learn to use your senses. Why do you think I gave you this ability? You'll be of no use to me if you cannot control those senses."

He nodded, feeling a bit foolish. "Yes, my lady. I understand." He looked into her glowing orb, which had in essence a split screen of both Cedric and Sofia sleeping. "May I ask…why these two?"

"Princess Ivy had the right idea but certainly the wrong execution. She became greedy and sloppy, and her blind jealousy and personal endeavors led her astray. Nettle, while a bit more of a chameleon in her efforts, will still let her frustrations be known. And Slickwell…" She rolled her eyes. "No threat whatsoever, and far more of an enemy of their steward. All of them have failed at least once. All of them will succumb to either the princess's charms or their own selfish acts." She gestured between herself and her servant. "This is where we differ, Payó. Sticking to the shadows as we've done, forming Shadow Cedric to mess with the sorcerer's mind, cursing the Lavender Legend book and making the words vanish, invading their dreams and changing them into nightmares…these are far superior ways to weaken both the sorcerer and the princess and still get what we want."

Lady Deyanira raked her nails over the glass, smirking as she saw both subjects of her orb wince and cringe at the sound in their sleep. She stilled her hands. "And why these two, you ask? The book was merely a vessel, but it holds information about the amulet that will surely give both of them an insight which I don't want them to have, which is why they can no longer read the words, of course. The amulet is more of a goal: with its secret past and its numerous abilities… And the princess is the keeper of the amulet—the one who can truly unlock its full potential and its secrets. And while the sorcerer has tried numerous times and failed in his quest to harness the power of the amulet for himself, he's a bit more of a threat to us."

Payó blinked. "How so, my lady?"

"He has the princess's full confidence. She believes in him so much that it's sickening." She turned to her servant and rolled her eyes. "She ignores the truth right before her: that he's betrayed her many times or at least tried to. She wants so desperately to see the good in him, in her 'mentor' and 'best friend,' that she turns a blind eye to what he's fully capable of doing: charming her into entrusting him with her amulet." She pointed at the sleeping sorcerer and smirked. "And she's done it again. He now has the amulet. We only need to pry into his subconscious and…encourage him to unleash those powers again, but the right way this time. Last time he was foolish and flippant. He'll be far more useful to us if we give him some guidelines."

"Is this where I come in, Lady Deyanira?"

She smiled with narrowed eyes, lifting her hand and tracing her red nails against his cheek. "Indeed, it is." With one snap of her fingers, Payó faded away and was replaced by a very familiar entity: Shadow Cedric. "Get to work."

"Ahh!" Sofia sat up, panting. She'd had her first nightmare in months, one to do with… She shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. She glanced down as Clover hopped up to her, obviously worried about her. "Clover…" She picked him up and held him, rocking him back and forth.

"What's wrong, Sofia?" he asked, blinking when she didn't respond. "Sofia?"

The princess placed her friend on the bed once again, smiling at him appreciatively. "Thanks for checking on me." She tilted her head as she saw him gesturing, and she sighed as she remembered an important detail. "Mr. Cedric took my amulet."

"WHAT?!" Clover growled. "I know that sorcerer was up to no good! Let me at him!"

She giggled at the bunny's over-exaggerated reaction, including his apparent imitation of kick boxing. She placed one hand on his head. "I let him, Clover. Something was wrong with it, and he'd fixed it once before; he's going to see if he can fix it again."

"…Oh." Whoops. Clover grinned sheepishly at his overreaction. Then again, he'd noticed Wormwood being awfully suspicious many times, and it just made sense that his owner fit the bill too. Granted, Cedric had been far more tolerable the last year or two, but he still had his doubts sometimes. However, he couldn't bring himself to notify Sofia of this. She cared so much about her mentor and friend that it would break her heart for him to suggest something like that.

Still, the bunny knew he'd keep his eye on both the sorcerer and his raven.

"I'm going to go check on Mr. Cedric. Maybe he's fixed my amulet." She scratched her friend's ear gently, giggling as he made a purring sound of appreciation. "Silly Clover. I'll be back later." She threw on a robe and left the room.

Clover frowned. "Hmm. Wonder what's really going on…" He grinned as his stomach made a familiar gurgling sound. "I can wonder while I chow down though. Breakfast, here I come!" And with that, he hopped off.

Sofia entered the workshop quietly. She'd knocked a few times, but she never heard a response. She looked around, noticing that neither Cedric nor Wormwood seemed to be around. She heard a noise from the area where she knew his bedroom to be and moved quickly toward it, wrapping her fingers around the door handle.

The princess slowly opened the door, glancing around the dark room. She saw Cedric lying in his bed, his blankets scattered and something clasped in his hands. She approached him slowly, noticing his fitful sleep. 'Another nightmare,' she reasoned in her mind, 'just like me…' She was frustrated now. What was going on? Why were they being tortured like this?

"N-No, no!" Cedric cried as he sat up, looking around in a wild manner before his eyes settled on his surprised apprentice. "Sofia!"

"Mr. Cedric," she answered softly, walking toward him and watching him carefully. "It's okay. It's just me."

"He was here."

"Who?" She looked around, seeing no one. "Who was here, Mr. Cedric?"

He sighed and placed his head in his hands. "That horrid Shadow Cedric character… I felt him. I heard him. He's messing with my mind again." He growled and stood up quickly. "What do you want with me?!" he yelled at no one in particular. "You want a piece of me? Do your worst!"

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia grabbed his hands and pulled him out of his bedroom, back into the workshop. She pushed him into a chair and grabbed his face, making him look at her. "Mr. Cedric, calm down."

The sorcerer's brown eyes focused a bit more, locked onto his apprentice's concerned blue ones. "Sofia… I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." She realized in his grasp he held a white piece of fabric with something inside it. "What's this?"

"Your amulet," he responded while glancing down. "Admittedly, I wasn't able to really figure out anything concerning its strange red color last night. I don't know what is going on with it."

"Oh." She nodded. That's what she was afraid of.

"I do have a suggestion though, and I'm afraid you're not going to like it." Seeing he had her attention, he sighed. "I don't think you should wear it until we know what's going on."

"B-But how am I supposed to…?" She trailed off. He didn't know about her powers she'd earned and harbored (or she thought he didn't), and she didn't exactly feel like explaining herself now. How could she explain its importance without giving away her secret? "My dad told me to never take it off."

Cedric frowned. "Yes, well, I'm quite certain your father would think differently if it meant the difference between life and death."

Sofia's eyes widened. "Are you saying that you think the amulet may try to…destroy me or something?"

"I'm saying we don't know what's really wrong with it. Sofia, messing with magic is dangerous. We both know your amulet is far more powerful than either of us realizes, and the last thing I want is to see you getting hurt."

She realized his intent and nodded slowly. "So…what are we going to do with it then? And how am I supposed to explain to my dad…all of this?"

Cedric rolled his eyes, grabbing his wand and waving it around with a calmer smile. "Who said you have to?" He pointed the wand toward the girl, and soon a replica of her amulet appeared around her neck. "There. A perfect likeness. Now your father won't ask any questions." And he wouldn't admit that this particular amulet was the same replica he'd made for himself a while ago…

Sofia smiled, hugging him. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric."

He chuckled nervously, patting her on the back. "No problem, Sofia… Now then." He sat up straighter as she released him. "I need to get ready for the day, and I know you're probably hungry and need to eat with your family. What's say we reconvene in a few hours?"

She nodded. "Okay. So I'll meet you here in two hours." She waved and left the room.

Cedric sighed and slumped in his chair again, holding a hand to his head. He'd had a headache since he'd awoken, but he didn't really focus on it until now. Now that he realized it, he wasn't going to tell Sofia about this either. The less she had to worry about, the better.

To be continued…

A/N: Hope you like it so far. :) This story will be three chapters, so here are the titles for each one so that you can ponder what their meanings may be:

Chapter 1: Fade to Red

Chapter 2: Unveiled

Chapter 3: Dreamscapes

I'll try to update this weekend, but no promises. We'll see what happens! ~AquaTurquoise