Enchant Me (A Sofia and Hugo Love Story/Sofia the First Spinoff)

Chapter Nineteen: Sacrifice

~Sofia~

      The forest clearing is vast. As we rush towards Elise's location using Cedrick's locator spell, rain starts to drizzle. There's no heavy downpour–yet. James and Hugo exchange dirty looks that worry me. Eventually they're shoving each other. I halt in my tracks as Amber, dad, Cedrick, and Baileywick walk ahead in a hurry to find my daughter. James and Hugo stop to gawk at me. I'm sure I have tear tracks on my face, but as I cross my arms and tilt my head to the side, they give each other awkward glances.

      "Stop it," I growl, my tone heavy with seriousness. James and Hugo worriedly nod, mumbling their agreement.

      "Okay Sofia, I'll stop," James comments, walking away from us and heading towards Cedrick. He gives Hugo and me the alone time we need to discuss some things. As we follow Cedrick and the others, I turn to face Hugo,

      "I'm a wreck. I couldn't even keep Elise safe for a full day. I've already failed as a mother, and haven't even started. I just want my baby girl back in my arms, so I can make up for the lost time–"

      "You are not a failure," Hugo cuts off. He cups my face with his hands. Sparks fly, just from his touch. I rest my head in his hands, releasing a smile. "When this craziness goes away, we'll talk about us. You matter so much to me Sofia, and now we have a child together...I'm extremely thankful." I give Hugo a confused look.

       "Why would you be thankful?" I query, holding his hands and bringing them down to the level of my chest. "The last few months have gone by in such a confusing blur so it's not like you could possibly be thankful for me--"

       "But I am. Without you, I wouldn't be happy. Even with my father's death, and Axel's midlife crisis, I had you. Even when I got imprisoned, there was still a warmth in my heart. One that you brought to me when I was just a bitter boy who feared to speak up for his passions. That love grew with Elise's birth. I have you to thank for that." I let tears stream down my face. This time they're happy.

      "Oh Hugo," I whisper, trying to catch my breath between sobs. He told me absolutely everything I needed to hear.

      "I know, Sofi. I know." I nod upon his comprehension, wiping tears off from my face. We stop walking. As the rain gently drizzles onto our faces, I look into his piercing, emerald eyes. They're mesmerizing. Hugo smiles, taking off his vest and placing it on top of me. I appreciate the gesture by holding onto his hand. Our fingers interlock as he tucks a strand of hair away from my face. The way he does it with such delicate care melts my heart, causing an overwhelming feeling to surge--in a good way. Everything in the moment is just so perfect. Even with crises looming from all directions, Hugo's presence freezes time.

       He opens his arms. I accept, embracing him with a hug. My head lies flat on his chest as he rests his lips on my forehead, planting a sweet kiss. Listening to the thumping of his heart, I can't help noticing that our heartbeats are in sync; a certain kind of calm that is exclusive, not universal. I look up into Hugo's eyes and can tell what he wants just by analyzing his facial expression.

      My lips connect to his, moving in perfect synchronization. I feel Hugo grip my waist with his hands. Just his caress is gentle, even if it's strong. I inhale his natural scent, which is pine with a hint of sandalwood. The forest certainly contributes to this numbing fragrance. As I'm running my fingers through his hair, we hear a faint noise coming from the forest up ahead of us. 

        It's a baby crying. My baby.

       Our group starts running towards the crying, because it's quite obvious that the voice belongs to Elise. As her crying gets louder, I can't help but notice how the rain is heavily pouring. The soil underneath our feet becomes muddy in an instant.

       Hugo and I run, our hands locked together. As Cedrick, Balieywick, and father run towards the crying through a foggy patch, I can't help but notice they disappear into the gloomy mist. Amber and James give worried looks as they step into the fog after their dad.

        "Amber? James?" I call out. "What do you see?" I start to halt my previously quickened running pace. They respond with silence.

       "Something happened, Sofia!" Hugo exclaims, stepping in front of me.

       That's when we hear screaming. It's coming from both Amber and James. Hugo and I rush into the fog. Baileywick, Cedrick, and dad are passed out on the ground. What's most daunting is seeing Amber and James tied up with rope, floating above a pentagram. They're unconscious.

       The twins are behind an unknown figure who wears a black hood. Amber and James are fast asleep, under some sort of spell. Before Hugo and I can rush to untie them and bring them back to consciousness, the mysterious figure mutters an incantation.

       I notice who the mysterious figure is as they turn around. 

      It's Clio. 

       She turns around to face Hugo and me. Her smile is too wide, and her teeth are sharp; pointy. What's the most frightening about her appearance is not the blood on her garments, but how her normally brown eyes are now a glowing red. She's under the influence of magic; a very dark magic. I can sense it with my amulet.

      "Pausa!" she growls. I can't move my limbs. My body seems to be frozen. Hugo is just as motionless as me.

      Clio grins at Hugo and me, turning around to face Amber and James. She pulls out two daggers, 

       "Et tumido geminos coniungo!" Clio exclaims, slitting both James and Amber's throats at the same time. The freezing spell that was cast on Hugo and me wears off, as Hugo runs towards Clio and tackles her down. She's laughing maniacally underneath his grip.

      "No!" I scream, running towards Amber and James. I kneel onto the ground and cup their heads in my lap. There are tears streaming down my face as I let out loud sobs. Blood is all over me as I hold on to James and Amber's motionless corpses.

       They're dead.

      "What did you do!" I yell, turning to face Clio. As she continues laughing, I let rage take over my body. My hand comes into contact with her face, making a loud smacking noise.

         "Where is my daughter?" I interrogate, this time, slapping the left side of her face.

       "The ritual is complete," Clio growls, "and the Geminis are dead... that's all that matters."

       Clio's words fade out as I realize the sharp and painstaking reality:

        My siblings are dead, and my daughter is still missing. Ultimately, it's all my fault.      

~

E N D    O F    C H A P T E R    N I N E T E E N

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A/N: I forgot to upload last week, w h o o p s!  (But to make up for it this chapter was extra long soooooo...) 

However, I wasn't lying when I said weekly uploads will become a thing. I'm slowly getting my shit together in quarantine so that's good news. 

The aim is for me to be able to EVENTUALLY accomplish uploading on a daily schedule. I just need to sort out my priorities/motivation, because I always have so many ideas--just no time to do them all (even with quarantine lol I'm a mess). Does anyone else relate to that? Or the total opposite*? (because that too is difficult to deal with).

*the total opposite is having a dry spell (which means few ideas) but plenty of time/willpower to formulate something.

Stay safe during these hard times, guys.

Lina ;)