AN: This is another one of those "meant to be a oneshot" things that spiraled into something else entirely. Originally I wanted to write a what if/alternate timeline for Day of the Sorcerers but I chose to go a slightly different route with it once it morphed into something larger.

I fully expect this thing to go MA but for the time being I'll keep it at a T rating.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

"It's been a while..." She spoke in a low voice, keeping her eyes downcast at the cell floor beneath her.

"Yes it has." He replied, tapping his fingers along each bar of the cell as he paced back and forth.

"Months." She hissed before finally raising her gaze to look at his face, though he didn't afford her the same courtesy. "Or has it been years? I've lost track."

"You know it pains me to see you this way." He muttered. "You can't fault me for not visiting. I hate these conditions you're in. It upsets me."

"Not enough, clearly." She said, shaking her shackled feet so that the chains dragged across the stone floor with a grating sound. She watched as he winced at the noise and gave a small shutter. He still wouldn't raise his eyes to meet hers and that was perhaps the most upsetting of all. "Look at me, Cedric."

Cedric cast a quick sideways glance, just enough to make out a blurred image from the corner of his eye. He hadn't focused on the image of her because he knew it would be far too heartbreaking to see his former friend in chains and rags. "It didn't have to be this way."

"Says the man who made it this way." She spat.

Cedric ceased his pacing and gripped the cell door, pressing his face between the cool metal of the iron bars. He kept his eyes downward and to the right, still finding it hard to look at her. "I have a proposition for you."

A scoff fell from her lips and her eyes rolled back so far they may as well have disappeared. "You have nothing to offer me."

"I have everything to offer you." He reminded her. "I have everything."

"But nothing you'd be willing to part with." She snapped haughtily. "You have the amulet, the kingdom, my family... and I know you'd never give me any of it."

"I can offer you your freedom." He said softly.

"That would be a very foolish move, even for you." She retorted. "You know that I would fight against you with everything that I have left in me if you let me go."

"The freedom would be conditional." Cedric replied, unlocking the cell door to step closer to her. He raised his gaze to her lower half knowing full well he would have to give her the dignity of eye contact sooner or later. "The people of the kingdom are restless. There's talk of revolution. They say I'm not their rightful king."

"You're not." She said coldly.

"That may be true... but you still remain." He closed the distance between them until there were mere inches separating them. He had no choice but to lay eyes on her now, disheveled and filthy but far from broken. There was such rage in her eyes and that was infinitely more painful to see than her pitiful appearance. "The citizens still think of you as a rightful heir to the throne. You're their beloved princess. They accept you as a leader."

Her eyes flickered over his face in disbelief. Surely he couldn't be suggesting what she thought he might be. She drew back from him as far as her shackles would allow and looked him up and down. "You should leave before you make a fool of yourself, Cedric."

She knew what he was getting at, he could tell by her reaction. A snicker fell from his lips and he gave her a simple shrug in return. "Things are the way they are. I can't help the situation any more than you can. It's the only solution I have at this point."

"Your solution should be to undo what you've done." She said with a low grumble. "You took over the kingdom with the hopes that you would finally become Cedric the Great but do you know what they whisper behind your back? Words of treason. They call you Cedric the Terrible, and that's what you are. You're terrible."

Her words stung more than he cared to admit. He tried to mask the pain by feigning anger. "Who dares call me that behind my back?"

"Everyone, Cedric." She said, a small smile of satisfaction finding its way to her face. "Everyone."

"They won't be saying that soon enough." He reached into his sleeve, pulling out his most capable wand. A quick flick of his wrist pulled her up into a standing position as he worked at transforming her rags into a pristine white gown fit for the most elegant princess. Her auburn curls were swept up onto her head under a stunning tiara and the dirt that smudged her fair skin was whisked away. When he was quite pleased with her appearance he tucked the wand away and looked her over calmly. "This doesn't have to be temporary."

She glanced down at herself, unimpressed with her change in wardrobe. It was only an illusion. Everything with him always had been. She took a step forward but her shackles didn't allow her much further than that. She raised her hand to his face, pressing her fingertips against his cheek with care. "I suppose I could have anything I wanted if I were to say yes to your proposition."

"Anything within reason." He spoke quietly and for a moment he allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of his lips. "I could give you everything you desire, Sofia. You only need become my bride."

"Is that all?" Sofia whispered before moving her hand to slap him across the face. "I would die in this prison alone before I would ever marry you, Cedric."

He drew back from her reach, the sting of the slap still dancing along his flesh. His initial reaction was anger at her audacity but he knew she was only giving him precisely what he deserved for what he'd done to her. "I implore you to reconsider. It's not my wish to keep you this way."

"This is the only way you'll ever have me."