Lockdown

Summary: Upon returning to Enchancia, Sofia and Cedric discover that their kingdom is under siege, and they'll have to fight to get it back. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First.

A/N: It's time to get the gang together! And by that, I mean that it's time to recruit some powerful people to help our favorite duo. 😉 There's a lot of action going on in this one, and it's going to be somewhat more fast-paced due to the chaotic nature, so hold on tightly. ;D Also, loads of conflict and drama in the next story. Mwahahaha! Lol! Enjoy!

*Twentieth Story/Episode 20*

This was a nightmare. An absolute nightmare… Or rather, it was almost as if their shared nightmare had come true in real life.

Cedric and Sofia had landed the AutoCoach just outside the outer edge of the village of Dunwiddie, because they were currently unable to go any farther. They stood side by side, gaping at the huge, electrified barrier that now surrounded the entire kingdom. It covered the village and some outer lying lands, and directly in the center of the dangerous barrier was their castle.

"We're too late," Sofia whispered in disbelief as she quickly felt her bravado deflating. "Mom… Dad… Amber and James…" She clasped her hands to her chest. "They're all in there, Mr. Cedric…" In some cold, cruel way, this reminded her too much of the Vor situation…

"D-Don't worry, Sofia," Cedric tried to assure his friend, though he could feel himself shaking a bit too. After all, his sister and niece were also trapped inside. While he had his differences with Cordelia, he loved her dearly, and he wanted more than anything to see her and hug her tightly at that point, along with Calista. "We'll figure something out."

"I don't think we're strong enough to handle this," the princess whispered, clutching her amulet. "Even with my amulet, our powers combined, and my Enchantlet… An entire kingdom has been covered in that thing." She sighed heavily, lowering her head. "It's hopeless, Mr. Cedric…"

Cedric frowned at her statement and clasped his hands over her shoulders, causing her to glance up at him, a lost expression on her face. "If we can't handle it alone, we'll get some help. Don't forget that you and I both know plenty of magic users." He smiled lightly as he saw a look of realization pass over her features. "If you'll contact the Protectors, we can both go gather Merlin and bring him back here. The lot of us together should be more than powerful enough to defeat this evil."

"Whoa!"

The two friends jumped and turned, stunned to see Greylock standing behind them, his mouth agape and his hazel eyes wide.

"Greylock?" Cedric asked, bewildered. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I…just came for a surprise visit," he mumbled, still gaping at the sight before him. "And now I see that I'm the one who gets the surprise." He shook his head before looking back toward the Enchancians. "What's happened here?"

"We'll explain on the way," Sofia insisted, grabbing both of their hands and dragging them toward the AutoCoach. "Mr. Cedric, you tell him what's going on. I'll call Chrysta." She slid onto a seat as Cedric sat next to her, Greylock entering and sitting opposite them as Cedric initiated the AutoCoach to take them to Merlin's place. Activating her Enchantlet, she sighed in relief once she saw her trainer's face. "Chrysta!"

"Sofia?" the crystal fairy asked worriedly, noting the girl's tone. "What's wrong?"

"We need your help."

The ride to Merlin's was rather quick in comparison with all their other journeys so far. Of course, it helped that they'd been to the old wizard's castle a few times already. However, after catching up Greylock and getting the Protectors onboard to help them (and knowing that they were on their way to Enchancia right now), Sofia couldn't help but let her frustration out as they neared Dragon Hold.

"I can't believe they were that underhanded," she muttered, mostly to herself but loud enough for the sorcerers to hear. "It's like they waited for us to leave, and then they just…took over." She fisted both of her hands together. "They're going to pay. And I swear, if they laid one finger on anyone, I'll…"

"Sofia, calm down," Cedric urged her, placing one hand over her right fist, causing it to relax a bit. "If you get too worked up, you're going to start making mistakes. I know it's a lot to ask, but please try to keep a rational mind right now. The last thing I want is to…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish that statement. The last time they were in this much danger, Sofia had nearly died. He wasn't about to risk that happening again.

She sighed and nodded, her blue eyes boring into his. "I'll try, Mr. Cedric…"

"So, you say this exiled princess and a discharged Enchancian warrior are the two responsible for that huge barrier we saw earlier?" Greylock clarified, his eyebrows raising a bit as the friends confirmed his query. "Well, it's certainly unexpected as far as 'villains' go, I suppose. And the fact that these two have dabbled—eh, more like dunked their entire beings in—dark magic… Well, that's just asking for trouble."

"Don't you have a pregnant wife you're supposed to be tending to?" Cedric asked flatly, changing the subject to keep Sofia from pondering much more on the situation. He could already tell she was starting to grow anxious again.

Greylock's face altered into one of discomfort. "Have you ever been around a pregnant woman before, Cedric?" He scoffed before the other sorcerer could respond. "Of course you have. The queen, not to mention Cordelia… Now that was frightening." He shivered. "To be perfectly honest, I'm glad your sister only had one child. She's scary on her good days. She's an absolute terror on her bad ones."

"Digressing," Cedric murmured, folding his arms.

The brunette nodded sheepishly. "Right, so I've been at Ivy's beck and call the last several months, like I assumed I was supposed to be. However, she's not even due for another two months, and I'm not sure how much scarier she can get. Quite honestly, I'm afraid to find out." He cleared his throat and straightened his bowtie. "So, I told her I had some business to attend to, and thankfully she didn't raise a fuss when I left on my…business trip."

Sofia gave the man a pointed look. "You lied to her?"

"Hey, technically, I do now have some business to tend to." He grinned as the other two rolled their eyes. "I figure helping save your kingdom and rescue your families will be more than enough reason to leave her with Nettle for a few days." He smiled proudly.

"She's going to hurt you," Cedric remarked, shaking his head. "I'll bet anything that Nettle is already plotting your demise."

"Way to be optimistic, Cedric."

A few minutes later, the AutoCoach touched down outside of Dragon Hold, and the trio wasted no time hurrying up to the door, knocking heavily on it.

"All right, just a minute!" a grumpy voice bellowed from inside before the door soon opened, revealing a disgruntled Merlin. He narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at the three visitors. "Princess Sofia? Cedric? And…Greylock, isn't it?"

Greylock grinned and excitedly whispered to Cedric, "He knows my name!"

Cedric scoffed and waved him away before stepping up to Merlin. "Merlin, we have a dire situation on our hands, and we could desperately use your assistance."

"Well, I…" One look at the young princess and her distraught features, and the old man instantly knew that he couldn't very well turn them away. He sighed and nodded. "As you wish. Would you kindly explain what's going on first?"

"Long story short," Sofia began, "two villains have seized my kingdom, along with both my family and Mr. Cedric's, not to mention our entire castle staff and the village of Dunwiddie, where some of my friends live. One of the villains has claimed that she will destroy everything I care about, and her own family said she's capable of murdering—"

"Say no more," the wizard declared as he withdrew his wand. "Let's go. We'll take the shortcut."

"What shortcut?" Greylock wondered, looking around.

"I'm sure you've heard of a wormhole." Merlin smiled mysteriously before lightly waving his wand, nodding in satisfaction as a swirling vortex opened before him. "Follow me." He walked forward, disappearing into the opening.

"I suppose I can get my AutoCoach later," Cedric surmised, gulping silently at the sight of the wormhole. Truth be told, he was a bit intimidated by it; it was still so mysterious and unknown to most magic wielders, and he didn't always particularly trust things with which he wasn't familiar, regardless of who made them.

"I wasn't aware that even Merlin was capable of accessing a wormhole," Greylock gasped as he and the other two approached the mysterious phenomenon before them. "I have so many questions."

Sofia sighed in frustration. "Ask later, Mr. Greylock. We need to hurry!" With that, she rushed inside, followed by the sorcerers, just as the wormhole sealed up behind them.

A number of Protectors were gathered outside the barrier that was blocking off all of Enchancia. Among them, Chrysta, Orion, Vega, and Garish stood out as rather familiar faces.

"She wasn't kidding," Chrysta told her friends softly as she stared at the sight in disbelief. "I mean, I know we fight off evil all the time, but something about this just feels so much more sinister…"

"I think it's because it's Sofia's home that has been invaded," Orion suggested. "She's your closest friend, and seeing her in distress earlier, not to mention seeing the actual problem before you now, really bothered you on a much deeper level than it would have if it had been any other land invaded."

"But we're here now," Vega added, trying to keep their spirits up. "The Mystic Isles is safe and secure because of her quick thinking with Prisma. The least we can do is return the favor." She smiled lightly. "Besides, she's one of my favorite Protectors we've ever had."

Chrysta smiled and nodded. "Mine too."

The Protectors were a bit startled when a vortex began spinning out of nowhere, creating the opening of a wormhole. They were even more surprised when out of it stepped Merlin, Sofia, Cedric, and Greylock.

"Sofia!" Chrysta gasped, quickly rushing toward her charge and pulling her into a hug.

Sofia responded in surprise. Chrysta wasn't always one to be so touchy-feely, but considering the circumstances, she supposed it was a natural response. "I'm okay, Chrysta…" She hugged her back before looking toward the others. "Thank you for coming. I owe you guys…"

"Nonsense," Orion corrected. "We are at your service today, Princess Sofia. We aim to help you however we can."

Before the princess could respond, a loud cackle echoed above the huge barrier. Princess Imaldrina appeared from the darkness, a sneer on her face, and Galiviano soon appeared next to her. The white-haired woman announced to those gathered, "I hope none of you actually think you have a chance against either of us." She giggled wickedly as she sent a blast of electricity hurling toward them.

"Mr. Cedric, look out!" Sofia dived forward, shoving Cedric to the ground and falling next to him as the lightning struck the ground, scorching it. She glared up at the woman as Cedric panted and gaped at her in awe. "You almost hit my friend! You'll pay for that!"

"That's an empty threat, you brat." She smirked and pointed her hand toward Sofia. "I wasn't aiming for the subpar sorcerer anyway. It's you I want."

"You want me?!" Sofia jumped to her feet, attempting to rush forward, only to be held back by Greylock and Chrysta. "Bring it on!"

Princess Imaldrina cackled yet again as she charged up her powers once more. "With pleasure!"

The end (and to be continued…)

(Next Story/Episode 21: Shattered)