This was only meant to be a one-shot,
But I think it might be a two parter— or three, depending if I can even think of an ending for this as I really haven't thought it through, I only know that after watching nearly enough every WITCH episode these past few nights, an epic sense of nostalgia overcame me and I just had to write this, especially about my OTP.
My only wish is that I had read the comics. I know they are still going but to be truthful I have only just a few months ago found out about them and for the life of me, haven't a clue on how to even go about starting from scratch. So with that I think I shall just stick to the cartoon… to be honest, from what I have gleaned then the TV show is much less painful to my beloved pairing so perhaps it is for the best that I don't read the books.
Speaking of TV shows, how in the hell can something as lame as Winx club beat out Witch? Doesn't even come close to holding a shadow of awesomeness that this show held and yet that one dimensional toddler franchise got eight seasons… EIGHT. FREAKING. SEASONS! It also pissed me right off to know that the thin-skinned morons who produced the show, cancelled it due to a bit of tough love… Pff, fools.
But anyway, rant over, (Though in my mind it shall forever continue) I have decided to write this down. I know it's a little late and all… what with it having been over a decade since the show was on air, but I thought about and eh, it's here, if people want to read it then go ahead, I just wanted to write about my two favourite characters.
Anyway don't own WITCH, never will and that actually brings tears to my eyes that such a great show will forever go unfinished and without the ending it truly deserves. (thank you once again Disney, money grabbing jerks)
PS: any mistakes and I apologise, I went over this like… three times, but even still there might still be some that get by me so if there is and you notice, just ignore it.
Uncovering their eyes when the last of the light died down, they gazed at the now empty spot which once held the Mage—though now they knew to have been Nerissa in disguise— and Halinor, now under thrall as Will sighed miserably.
"Fantastic… just what we needed!"
It was then that Luba came to stand next to her; she gave the guardians a weak smile, "It was good that we caught her when we did, if left who knew what else she could have done."
Everyone ignored the small 'duh' from Irma as the tall cat-woman led them back inside the fortress, making their way to the council room the guardians gasped at the sight that greeted them, there in the centre of the room was the rest of the council members, all trapped inside their circular prison. Luba moved over to them a look of great sadness on her face as she gazed at her fellow councillors.
"So… what gives?"
Trust Irma to make a bad situation any less helpful as Luba sighed tiredly and spoke. "They were trying to create a veil. Something that would defend the castle and when they invited Nerissa to join, she used their powers against them and trapped them as you see now,"
Another long dawn-out sigh was heard as she shook her head. "It is a good thing she has left… I fear if she was to return; without the power of the oracle and its council… then Kandrakar will not survive."
The others were silent at her grave response, they knew now that this was getting more serious and so when Will stepped forwards pledging that they would do everything to stop her, the rest silently vowed their entire beings to make it happen.
It was silent for a few minutes until Taranee broke the palpable tension that had been filling the air on seeing the sight of the helpless councillors, very tentatively she coughed to get their attention.
"Err, hi— yeah, just one more question."
Slowly Luba turned to face her, as did the rest making her smile nervously. Even after all this time she still wasn't used to so much focus but cleared her throat.
"Well I was just wondering… how did Cornelia end up with all our powers?"
That was a very good question and one they all wanted to know as they turned to face the Earth guardian and frowned when they saw the blonde wrapped tightly in Caleb's embrace. It was obvious that she hadn't been paying attention to what had been going on furthering their annoyance as they observed the pair snuggled close together.
Luba grimaced in displeasure at the scene just as Irma picked up a small stone before checking its weight and deciding it was good enough, happily threw it at the blonde. Cornelia winced when the small but sharp object hit her and whipped her head around, glaring angrily at the only culprit as Irma waved cheerfully. The blonde's eye narrowed in deeper irritation before replying to the apparent invite to speak.
"You know, just because I said plants don't grow around here, doesn't mean that I can't find other ways of helping out."
Without a further word she used two of her fingers and brought them up lazily as a shriek had then turning to see Irma now being lifted in the air, and was twirling uselessly.
"Cornelia!"
The blonde waved her hand in Will's direction, "Yeah— in a sec… just let me," before using her forefinger, she began making circular motions as the brown haired girl started spinning. The others backed away from the water guardian, who was wildly rotating with wide eyes, as they heard her screams of frustration.
"Ah! Cornelia! Put me down… put me down… put me down NOW!"
But to her increasing ire, the blonde merely laughed at her and kept on spinning, ignoring Will, and now Taranee's pleas to put her down. Through her dizziness Irma could just about make out where Cornelia stood and so deciding that this wasn't going without retribution she focused as much as she could whilst being wildly spun.
"You know something Corny, you're looking a little dry, I'm sure that like all plants do… you could do with a watering!"
But the other guardian was prepared for this. It might have taken months but finally the earth wielder was able to decipher her body language and expression's enough to know when Irma was planning a comeback, and seeing as mostly she was the recipient of said comebacks it was prudent that she learn this particular lesson fast and so without waiting ducked the oncoming stream of water before using her other hand, reflected it as the rivulet rebounded off the shield protecting her and Caleb, passed the others and right into the waiting face of Luba.
No one breathed as the water hit the cat-woman's face hard. The collision caused the regal woman to take a step back, arms waving madly as she tried to cover her face from getting any more soaked. Jaws dropped once the attack struck, as Irma, on realizing that her assault hadn't hit its target, pulled her hand back immediately. Even Cornelia, who at this point would have been crowing her one-upmanship over the annoyingly accurate brunette stifled a small gasp as she retracted her hold over the other girl, causing her to fall to the ground—hard.
Finally having cleared her face of any residue water, Luba lifted her face from her sleeve and gave the shocked guardians a deadly glare, her eyes narrowing as they zoned in on the pair who had caused her drenching. Cornelia didn't hesitate, her hand automatically rising as she pointed a finger in the struggling brunette's direction as Haylin helped her to her feet.
"She did it,"
Irma, still woozy from the spinning, scowled and faced the direction of the blonde who had just chucked her under the bus.
"Now wait just a second, blondie! If you and Mr Cheekbones over there were actually paying attention then perhaps I wouldn't have had to—"
"Irma,"
"What!"
There was quietness for a nanosecond as they stared at the twitching brown haired girl and to the blonde who was looking entirely unconcerned to her threatening tone, as the blonde sighed before replying.
"I'm over here,"
More silence followed as Irma squinted, at first in anger but then in effort as she tried to see where it was she was looking. No one spoke as they waited for her reaction as finally her dizziness abated leaving her vision free; staring ahead she could see that the older girl had indeed not been in front of her, but instead someone else. Or, rather, some else, plus. Awkwardness ensued as she realized with horror, she had in fact been yelling at the trapped council members, embarrassment building with each passing second she watched them floating listlessly.
Not knowing what to do she lifted her hand again and offering them a feeble smile, waved. "…Hi,"
"Corny you are so dead!"
In response the blonde merely lifted a finger and teasingly circled it again causing her to scowl and take a step forwards.
"Enough of this!"
The deep voice that came from the now irate Luba barked clear around the hall and causing them to face her once more in surprise and fright, the irony of the fact wasn't lost on Irma but judging by the look of Luba's face she knew it wasn't a time to crack that particular joke and so kept her mouth shut.
"We are in the middle of a terrible crisis and you deem it appropriate to… make childish witticisms?" the disappointment in her voice caused the guardians to lower their heads at the sound of her shame, despite the fact that they didn't do anything Haylin, Taranee and Will all apologized, Irma and Cornelia glanced at each other as a small cough saw the glares aimed at them before they too hastily mumbled their apologies. The offer was enough to appease the cat-woman—for now, as she stood taller and fixed her robes.
"Now, to answer your question Taranee, the reason why Cornelia was able to command each of your element's, was because she was hit by the full force of the Auramere's."
Despite knowing that they posed no danger to a guardian Caleb's hand found its way to the blondes as he gripped it tightly before resuming listening to Luba's explanation.
"But… how? I mean— how is that possible?"
"Just before Cornelia was struck, Halinor and who I thought was the mage arrived, Halinor wanted me to divert your power to her so she could go and stop the attacks."
The news had the five girls angry at the once guardian for daring to even try pulling something so deceitful. The anger could be felt clearly for the older councillor who had betrayed their trust, even if it might have been for something she thought good, it still didn't excuse that if successful, she would have left them powerless.
"But that can't happen can it? I mean I thought they couldn't be taken by force?" Luba turned to Caleb who had spoken, his face creased in confusion as she replied carefully.
"There are some exceptions in which the Aurameres can be taken. All of which takes an extraordinary amount of power, and those with the capabilities are few and far between.
"Except Nerissa," the half-feline woman grimaced but nodded.
"But that still doesn't explain how Cornelia ended up with them," said girl shrugged still from her spot by her boyfriend as Luba eventually carried on.
"Naturally I refused to allow her such an attempt. Doing so would only serve to endanger you and potentially risk the citadel altogether. But she blindsided me, rendering me unconscious whilst she tried anyway. However the Aurameres have their own defence against those wishing ill harm… but just like myself, I imagine they never thought it would come from one of our own."
Her voice trailed off leaving them sad for the cat-woman who was good friends with Halinor, even with her thrall it still must have come as a deep wound to her trust.
"So… they can feel things. Just like the hearts can."
Luba nodded giving Will a small look before continuing, "This is where the second exception comes in, if they feel they are being threatened, they can repel the attack with their own power; but ultimately the Aurameres are a passive source of magic, not an offensive one. And so the first chance they get will go and hide within the nearest source of magical energy that can sustain them and doesn't house malicious intent."
"This happened to be Cornelia?" attention back on her, the blonde smiled, rather smugly if anyone was to ask, as she flipped her hair out, not minding the rebel behind her and shrugged again.
"What can I say? I put up with you guys daily, that alone makes me a saint. So I can totally understand why the Aurameres wouldn't want to come to me,"
"Humility really is your strongest point isn't it, Corny," she threw a crooked smile in the direction the dry remark came from as Irma rolled her eyes.
"In this instance, yes, Cornelia was the one closest to the energies at the time of their escape; but what were you doing this far into the castle earth guardian?" the cat woman turned to the blonde waiting for her response. To this Cornelia nodded in the direction of the trapped council members.
"The oracle asked me to find you and the others; wanted to know if you was in on the whole 'veil' thingy,"
Luba pursed her lips, not at all happy with such a flippant response but nevertheless it did explain why she was away from the fight. There was not a lot to say after that, with the others trapped and with no solution in sight to freeing them, she did the only thing she could and had numerous guards placed around the spherical prison, with instructions to be vigilant at all times before turning around to speak to the blonde.
"Given everything that's occurred I think now is the best time to return the Aurameres, I will make sure they are guarded fastidiously and that no one but myself will be allowed near them; so earth guardian, if you please, come forwards."
Cornelia did as asked and moved closer to where the caretaker stood, the others moved back as Luba placed a hand over Cornelia's chest, instructing the young girl to close her eyes. Once she had done so the older woman then began the process of removing the energies from her body.
Everyone was silent as they watched. A few minutes after the connection was made, a bright light started glowing between the feline's hand and the place it laid, as very carefully Luba extracted the first of the Aurameres. Brightly glowing, the luminous sphere shone both a combination of orange and red, Taranee's power, hovering above them it sparkled brightly for another few seconds, before returning to the pedestal as Luba resumed her task. Next was Irma's followed by the turquoise one of Haylin's, lastly the glowing pink meant Will's was taken out as the four glowing spheres circled each other aimlessly which left only Cornelia's.
They were tired, the rest could see the toll it was taking on the pair, ever the immaculate one, a light sheen had built up on Cornelia's face as she struggled with holding and then releasing far more power than what she was used to, and even Luba's normally straight laced posture was starting to slump as she exerted her magic far more than what she normally had to in an effort to reclaim the powers, it was only when trying to return the last one did problem present itself. Having focused in one the last Auramere, the others watched the keepers face fall in bewilderment, her expression pinched with effort as she struggled with trying to keep a grasp on the energy. Will and Haylin shared a glance as a few minutes went by and no last power in sight they began to worry, theirs hadn't taken this long to be removed and perhaps it was because Cornelia was the earth guardian and it was her power that was left, but it still didn't feel right and so wondering what was the hold up, they barely noticed the small ripples that had covered their bodies.
The air thrummed with energy, the pair were glowing but this time little waves of electricity, similar to Will's power was flowing from them and they had no idea why or even what was happening when a small grunt of pain had them turning back quickly, just in time to see them go flying in opposite directions.
Jaws dropped at the sight as Luba was thrown back harshly into the guards standing in front of the circle and Cornelia smashed into the stone pillar on the other side. Seeing this Caleb ran as fast as he could to the downed blonde before falling to his knees as he helped her sit up.
"Alright, what just happened?"
Luba, helped to her feet, brushed herself down. Turning to where the earth guardian and the rebel sat she tried to work that out before slowly making her way back to them.
"I do not know. Whatever the reason, it felt like the Auramere was dodging my attempts to take it back," her tone was light, heavy with mystification as she continued to eye the pair silently, they watched as Caleb helped Cornelia back to her feet as he wrapped his arm around her and let her lean on him, the blonde's eyes were closed and her head hung a little as she leaned against him, very slowly they made their way back to the middle where they paused for a break, during which he never left her side once, it was only when the feline woman suggested they try again was he tugged away. He frowned but went reluctantly; his eyes never leaving the blondes slightly sagged frame as he stood with the others and watched as Luba focused her efforts once more in a bid to succeed this time around.
This time, it was barely less than a minute before the sparks returned, Haylin grabbed hold of Will's arm hurriedly, her eyes widening in panic as by now the small currents that had torn them apart before, rippled wildly over their straining bodies. More potent than before, and clearly seeing the look of distress on both their faces, the worried the rebel leader got ready to move. The other four had to take a step back as the overpowering force of magic was threatening to squash them, they could barely stand to breathe through the stifling power swirling around them like an invisible snake, though it was no harm to them, they felt as though any second they would collapse and so didn't know how the blonde was still standing, caught right in the very middle of the magical maelstrom.
Another cry of pain left the blonde, trying her best to keep quiet but if felt like her chest was being ripped open. Luba wasn't faring any better as her own magic felt like it was being sucked out and used to fuel the onslaught surrounding them when it happened again.
The pair was thrown apart, this time the momentum was far more than before as the caretaker was flung into the guards, knocking them down and grunting as she smacked bodily into the sphere behind them, Caleb pounced as soon as Cornelia was thrown back, taking off at a run he sprinted ahead when the blonde was hurtled and leapt into her path, knocking her off collision with the wall she had been heading for as they toppled to the floor. Keeping his arms tight around her, they rolled few times before coming to a stop just a little outside the room's door, having watched everything the others had no idea on what to do, but on Will's urging split up; Taranee and Irma running to help Luba as the other two ran to where Cornelia lay.
This time back on her feet and having seen just how weak the earth guardian looked, Luba knew that there would be no more attempts.
"Ok, seriously, does anybody know what's going on?"
Seeing her in no condition to walk Caleb remained where they had fallen, the others didn't even crack a joke at how closely he was holding her, too worried about their friend to bother. Instead they waited anxiously as Luba checked her over, safely held in his arms he gave the council member a slight look of wariness, eventually she turned back to the others before speaking.
"She'll be fine. A little worn out, but with some rest she'll be back to normal soon," behind Haylin, Irma snorted lightly, she might have made fun of the blonde most of the time but she was worried, it truly did look like the other girl was in pain before, it had her nervous at seeing just how small she looked, lying in his arms.
"So do you know what's going on… what was with all that… crackling?"
Still staring at the blonde, Irma couldn't help but smile at her less than graceful wording as she leaned over to Will, who had spoken.
"Crackling, really?" laughing weakly, the red head elbowed the brunette for her droll remark as Luba shook her head slowly, a look of consternation written over her face.
"I do not know what the reason is, but I do believe that the Auramere is to be the cause of this,"
"Wait! That thing that's her power?" Caleb looked on troubled as he held her tighter and brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, she nuzzled into his hand and buried her face into his chest as Luba hummed lowly in confirmation.
"It is, but from what I got, just before the incident… it seems it does not wish to leave,"
Well that was a new one, turning to where the blonde still lay tucked in the boys arms, they observed her with intrigue as Luba spoke again.
"I get the sense that it does not want to leave; but for the life of me I have no idea why… Will," the younger girl jumped at being addressed so abruptly, but facing the keeper, she stood tall as the sharp eyes turned to her.
"How often do you train?"
The question threw the guardian for a moment, before she slowly replied, confusion clear in her tone. "A few times a week, why?"
Luba shook her head, clearly the answer wasn't one she might have expected as she lowered her eyes to the floor, deep in thought as the others looked on. The silence of the room became clear again, growing with each second the older woman didn't speak, truthfully it was getting uncomfortable, with no answers forthcoming and with Luba not knowing what the issue was, Will was about to speak but the small groan had them turn to see the blonde finally open her eyes. Caleb smiled happily as she inhaled deeply, before turning to face him, azure orbs meeting his own green and they stared at each other for a moment. He smiled before holding her cheek as she leaned into his touch, stirring more under the feel of his skin.
Haylin smiled widely and skipped to where they sat, the air guardian threw herself down at their side's inspecting their once out-cold friend, a few minutes later and they were both helping a now lucid Cornelia to her feet. With Haylin on the other side, though he could have done it by himself, they slowly walked over to the others as they gathered around the taller girl, smiling and giving her small touches to let her know they were glad she was alright.
Cornelia's fatigue made them all realize just how exhausted they were, the knights of vengeance were nothing compared to the ones of destruction and fighting the improved version wore them all out, so with nothing else left and with no answers to the blondes' dilemma, it seemed it was time to go home; taking out the heart, Will recalled the powers back to the jewel, as soon they found themselves back in their human forms.
Well, almost all of them, for no sooner had she put the heart away was Irma patting her arm, lifting her head she frowned at the nudging the other girl was doing and followed her line of the sight, once more back to the blonde, as she pulled back in shock on seeing the older girl still in guardian form. The others looked on just as confused, as the blonde glanced down to her still altered persona, her own befuddlement clear on her face.
Confusion seemed to be the theme of the day as once more they turned to Luba, who was starting to look as though she regretted not being one of those trapped inside the bubble. Sighing she raised a hand— no doubt to stem the flow of questions as she looked to the bemused blonde with a critical eye.
"I do not know why you have not changed when the heart called for it, I can only speculate that it has something to do with the Auramere," she paused; another thorough once over and a breath saw her carrying on.
"That said the Auramere cannot leave Kandrakar,"
Cornelia's head snapped up at that, exhaustion gone she fixed the cat-woman with a blank stare, "Can't… leave?"
The nod was all she needed, as all at once the blonde flipped. "Then what the hell I'm I meant to do about school… screw that—what about home? I think people are going to notice if I'm not there!"
Caleb moved to calm her, wrapping his arms around her body as she leant back into his chest sullenly, Luba kept her eyes on them for a few seconds longer before speaking.
"As I have said, I will need to do some reading as nothing like this has happened before, and therefore beyond my knowledge. Without the others help all I have is the library and that will take me some time to find the appropriate books… even if they hold the information we seek, it will still take time to get through them. But for now might I suggest an astral drop."
Still morose Cornelia lifted her eyes to meet those of the half-feline of course an astral drop would solve her problems, but she didn't want to create one, she just wanted to go home. In the end though and with a little more explaining as to why the Aurameres couldn't leave, she had to concede defeat. Will took the heart back out and uttered the words that brought a second Cornelia into existence, she gave the other 'her' a baleful look as a fold was opened and they all moved over to bid their goodbyes to the blonde, soon though they were all leaving and with one last wave goodbye, they hopped through, she watched them go as the fold vanished leaving her alone, Caleb came to stand by her side as she gazed longingly at the empty space the other had seconds ago, stood.
He knew that she wanted to go home but silently, a part of him was overjoyed at having her there, it wasn't Meridian but here was as good as anyplace he could get to spend more time with her, grasping her hand he gave it a comforting squeeze as she slowly turned to him.
The surly mood that had taken over when watching the others leave melted into nothing as their eyes met. The bright green jewels that twinkled whenever he looked her way never failed to make her chest burst with happiness as she returned his smile, he pulled her closer to him just as footsteps saw Luba approaching the pair.
"I shall show you to what will be your room for the foreseeable future,"
The future, she didn't like the sound of that as once more the rebel's arms came around her lovingly, she slowly nodded as Luba turned and began to walk through the doors that led further into the citadel, a gentle tug saw her being led by the leader as they hurried to catch up to her. Slowly they walked through corridors and down flights of steps until at last they came to a large oaken door. Spinning on her heel with a grace that Cornelia wished she had, the regal woman looked on before addressing them once more.
"Under normal circumstances this would never have been allowed unless in cases of dire need. But seeing as you currently hold the origin of all earth magic inside of you, I think this can be counted as an extreme urgency."
Sensing that Cornelia wasn't going to speak Caleb thanked the keeper who merely nodded and proceeded to unlock the door, she pushed lightly as a loud creak saw the wooden doors slowly opening.
"Come,"
With that Luba made her way through leaving the pair standing outside, never one to linger, he was soon guiding them along as whatever grumpiness remained, had vanished on seeing the inside of the room. In Silence the blonde gazed at what was around her in astonishment as they moved further into the chamber, staring in awe at the scenery around them.
It was paradise, the room spread out before them was immense; the roof itself seemed to have no limits, which was a good thing for the mini forest that surrounded them, stretched up and towered with no ends as far as the naked eye could see, each tree different as they arched and overlapped with each other: Willows, Oaks, Redwoods, Ferns; their branches thick and bursting with rich, vibrant leaves so full of life and colour, with the ones that fell around them immediately replaced by another no sooner had they broken off, scattering around them as they walked. Their journey through the trees lasted about ten minutes, the blonde unable to help the smile as she heard the whispers of the mighty trunks as they passed and inwardly made a promise to come back, soon the end was in sight and they emerged into open clearing; the ground beneath them turning from hard to soft as grass replaced the solid earth under their feet. Cornelia's smile remained as she glanced to the soft coverage, unable to help it she bent down and ran a hand over the tips of the small blades and giggled in delight as they swayed with her touch, the shrill titters and little chatters enough to tell her they enjoyed the feel.
Standing up she gave a small smile to the amusingly bemused rebel but gasped at what lay in front of them. She gazed in shock at the field just ahead, filled with flowers and just like the trees they too were of different types; creating a symphony of colour that spread out along the delicate surface. Closing her eyes she could hear their tiny voices, all eager for her to be near them and as she listened an indescribable feeling of need was imploring her to obey their wishes. Caleb's brow arched as he watched her take her shoes and socks off as she turned to him and shoving them into his hands, giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips before taking off at a run.
Standing just at the mouth of the trees the usually brusque and hardened rebel leader looked out of place, clutching a pair of boots and socks to his chest and surrounded by scattering leaves that weren't dead, rotted or dying. The smile he also wore, though seldom at the best of times, it had been noted (or teased) that since meeting the blonde he had been smiling more. The perpetual grimaces replaced by softer looks and warmer expressions that lessened the tension etched onto his face, reducing the look of a battled adult, back into the teenager that he actually was, and as he looked on at the blonde beauty dancing between the flowers at her feet, laughing and smiling, he realized that he had her to thank for it.
Watching as she skittered around the multi-coloured blanket of floras, bending down and lightly sweeping her hand across the petals that shivered and reacted at her touch, opening to their fullest and leaning in time with her steps, eager to please their kind mistress, she smiled wider before moving on and doing the same across the field.
She truly was the embodiment of the element and nature she represented. All the elegance and grace of the Willow, the strength and unyielding power of the Oak and the otherworldly splendour of the flowers she lovingly coaxed into bloom. Life— from the oldest of plants to the budding saplings seem to gravitate to the joyous guardian, happy to be in her company for her presence alone gave them a sense of new energy and he found that it was hard to fault that kind of logic. For everyday he found himself more enamoured by the enchanting beauty.
He had often heard from his dad and a few of the senior members of the rebellion about how one day he would find the person who would make his world turn upside down. How they would capture his heart and ensnare it so tightly that at times it would hurt to breathe. He had scoffed and laughed off the claims as old men talk.
He was no novice when it came to the fairer gender, through undercover missions to gain information or simply by pastime, he had become something of a romancer; though he had never gone as far as to sleep with any of them, he certainly knew some tricks. They had all been attractive as well with one or two he was certain, had been nobles, but statuses aside he had not been taken by their attractiveness, they could have been next in line for the throne of Meridian and he still was able to avoid their attempts to hold onto him, hence why he was dubious about Julian's claims that would all change the moment he saw his one.
So when his one turned out to be a guardian and the one of earth, he was surprised. Of course it wasn't love at first sight like his old man claimed; the instant attraction was there and definitely on her part as well, but it was more of a clashing of wills than anything else. He had never met a more stubborn, hard-headed and infuriating girl in his life and the first time she rounded on and yelled at him, it had left him speechless. But it didn't last as his temper rose to meet hers and their relationship of constant arguing, ignoring and petty sniping against the other was born.
Though whilst he thought she was maddening beyond belief, he couldn't deny she was easily and hands down the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, her loveliness seemed to radiate from her entire being putting every other to shame, even those back in Meridian. And it was then that he realized just why it was that no girl back home could have ever taken his heart.
Because it already belonged to someone else an entire realm away, he had just yet to realize that.
The more time he spent around the guardians and once he got passed the arguments, the obstinate attitude and at times icy demeanour, he saw a girl whose loyalty to her friends was matched only by her fierce determination to protect those close to her. From what he got the gist of, before they became guardians, only Haylin really was friends with the prickly blonde, Irma and Taranee hadn't even been acquaintances, passers-by in the hall, known in peripheral radar only, (Cornelia's case) but other than that they had never even said so much as 'boo' to each other.
According to Irma, Cornelia was the 'blonde elitist who was the biggest bitch Sheffield Institute had ever seen' her words had the rebel leader frowning; sure it was true that the other girl could be apathetic and indifferent to various things around her at times and after a year still narcissistic to a degree, but he doubted that the other girl had really ever seen the real Cornelia.
Apparently she didn't come out very often but when she did those who had the pleasure of meeting her saw a side that they had never expected the blonde too have and one night when they were alone (she had fallen asleep on him in the basement of the Silver Dragon and by the time she had woken everyone else had gone leaving them) and he had offered to walk her home, he too had fallen asleep and it seemed no one wanted to wake them, they slowly made their way to her house; making small talk as they did, he started to note a difference in how she acted alone compared to when with the others, with the rest she was standoffish, challenging— especially with Irma, and snarky.
But when alone he found she was… nice. A smile that didn't hold promise of threat or a cutting remark crossed her lips that he found lovely to stare at, more than once that night she had caught him simply gazing at her lips, he blushed each time earning the lightest of giggles that once more surprised him as the laughter wasn't sharp or laced with thinly veiled dislike for the person it was aimed. Instead it was like chiming wind-bells and again he found himself unable to look away.
It should have scared him, to be this enraptured by a single person, there was also the rebellion to think about, small issues such as infatuations (though really he knew it was beyond that point) had no place when lives and a whole kingdom was at stake. But despite his reservations on the subject he found that like a flower in her thrall, he was gravitating more towards her with each day.
So it had him wondering, if he was lucky enough to have seen this side of her and he had only met her just a little over a year ago, then why, if the others spent more time with her than he did, hadn't they been granted the same honour? Haylin especially seeing as they had known each other the longest and the younger girl really was the only one Cornelia showed her real self to… even if it was only a little.
He respected all of the guardians. Admired them even. Cornelia no exception, he knew that sometimes holding a strong front was vital in tough times and so her seemingly uncaring attitude was called for and even needed, as it was practical in choices concerning personal matters; he also knew that what she did, she did with her friends best interests at heart, even if it did make her unpopular with them at times.
He appreciated all sides of the blonde, but it was this, — the side that showed her compassion and warmth, whose soul was as harmonious with the spirits of the trees and flowers around them, it elevated her from simple mortal to something more. Even her guardian guise wasn't enough to describe what she looked like, running through the flowers so free and unburdened by the stress of what they faced.
She was a nymph, a combination of Anthousai and Dryads, both divine being's in which he had read about in books. Spirit's so attuned to the earth around them that they alone could reanimate nature and bring it back from a sorrowful death, into a life greater and more nourishing than before. It was this side that he alone really, had the privilege of seeing and to him, he had never seen her more beautiful and that was how he knew he loved her.
Those other girl's on Meridian couldn't hold a shadow of flame to his beloved Cornelia, seeing her surrounded by what she knew best was like watching the world's greatest play; listening to her laugh was like listening to the sweetest composition ever created and it was her infectious happiness that made him want to join her, so placing the shoes on the floor, he put his own to the side and jogged off to her side. Taking care not to step on the flowers that had burst all around him in her wake
Whispers from the flowers alerted her to his coming presence, turning she watched as he made his way over to her, his smile so striking it never failed to make her heart flutter with happiness. She really had no idea what she was thinking when accepting that date from Taranee's older brother, how could she have even thought about anyone else when Caleb truly was the only one that could force her heart to beat faster like nothing else could, not even ice skating— something she considered her first love— could have left her so breathless.
His eyes shone so green that they sparkled like emeralds, shining even in the darkest of nights. His voice, so commanding when called for, but for her, so tender and relaxing that it soothed her worries… his arms, strong and firm, brought nothing but a calm safety when he wrapped them around her and at times made her think they were the only ones left in the world. Watching as he got closer, he truly was everything she could have ever wanted, and never knew she needed.
It was true that at one point she despised her powers, disliked them to such an extreme and was hesitant to commit to the duty thrust upon them. But for all her doubts she could never regret the fact that they brought him to her, something she would be forever grateful for as by now he was only a few feet away.
Smiling she started running to him, seeing her move he picked up his pace as they neared each other, she wasn't sure whether it was her own feet or a playful flower that caused her fall, but somehow she tripped and crashed into him, sending them both toppling to the floor.
Rather than shock at the tumble Cornelia started laughing, looking down at her pillow she gazed into his glimmering orbs of green and found herself sinking into his embrace, reaching out he shifted some of her hair that was obscuring her sight, heart pounding heavily in his chest at the carefree way she was gazing at him.
Her smile brought him so much joy that the simple gesture made him feel like he could do anything. Her love alone made him feel so powerful, that he could go and end the war with Nerissa single handed; he cupped her face delicately, running his thumb over her soft cheek, grinning at her reaction as she closed her eyes and leant into his touch.
Feeling his hand— the rough calluses of his fingers, borne from years of training with swords and taking down Phobos' guards, stroked her skin with the utmost care, his countenance was of warmth and his eyes shone with so much adoration that she could feel his love washing over her. It was more than what she could take at that moment and she was certain that she would never get enough of him; leaning over, she closed the distance between them, lips colliding softly but firmly.
Responding quickly his other hand lifted to the small of her back, keeping her against his body as they embraced, their kisses showing the passion they felt; the trust… respect… loyalty and especially the love they held for each other, they were content to remain like that forever; simply lying in the soft grass, cradled by the flowers that were leaning towards them, hypnotized by the pure energy of their affection's when a cough saw that plan cut short.
Slowly they parted, eyes never leaving the other as she gifted him another smile; it might have been faint but he still felt the elation emanating from her, luring him into returning it. Another cough had them slowly looking up to see the stony expression of Luba, the cat woman standing over their forms, brow arched and lips pursed once more as she gazed at the pair on the floor.
Caleb offered her, what he hoped was a charming smile, before gently rolling the blonde off him and getting to his feet. Immediately he helped her up as they faced the unimpressed feline woman still giving them looks of disproval.
"Are you quite finished?"
Eyes on the floor, Cornelia nodded earning another tut from the keeper as she shook her head. "I have never had such a problem from a guardian before, perhaps its best if the leader here returned home."
Not liking that he felt her grip on the back of his shirt tighten making him chuckle lightly before he gave the strict keeper a nod before replying.
"Well I will be returning to Meridian soon so I promise that you won't have any more problems to deal with,"
He saw Cornelia's head turn to him, her eyes expressed her surprise at his notice of departure and she looked at him in slight alarm at him leaving her alone, making him turn to her.
"Don't worry; it won't be for too long. I just need to see what progress has been made, report about the fight and tell them to be on guard in case Nerissa tries anything there,"
Knowing that he was right, though not liking that he was leaving Cornelia sighed but nodded. He gave her arm a comforting rub as Luba eyed the pair silently; eventually she turned around and continued her walking, leaving them to catch up as this time the blonde pulled him along, determined not to further displease the keeper anymore, as they kept along the path leading to the other end of the room.
A further five minutes went by and the growing sound of running water caught their attention, keeping pace with the caretaker they came out of the field and like an abrupt change in weather, the scenery transformed yet again this time to reveal a pool of water— not large enough to be a lake, but bigger than a pond, at the bottom of a large cliff-face which arched over and around them in a semi-circle, in the middle a small waterfall crashed upon the moss-topped stones that gleamed under the artificial rainbow the rising mist created against the light beam's that dappled the area with sunlight
The blonde gasped at the sight in front of them as she took a few steps closer, her eyes wide in awe at the overwhelming magnificence that lay in front of them, a small nudge had her turning to see a larger version of a fire lily had reached out to her, like a canine happy to see its owner, the dazzlingly coloured flower wrapped its long stem around the blondes arm and let its head rest near hers, vying for her attention, the plants actions made her giggle and she lifted her hand to stroke the affectionate floret, her slim, long fingers running down it's velvety petals delicately, evoking a shiver from the flower.
The scene didn't go without audience as both Luba and Caleb watched on, the young boy with more wonder and love swelling in his chest and the cat-like woman an encouraging smile, pleased at how easily the blonde's powers came to her, before clearing her throat.
Turning her attentions to the caretaker, something the flower wasn't happy about and tried to get the blonde to resume her stroking, Cornelia listened with the softest of smiles tugging at her lips as she focused on the older woman.
"This place, as you can clearly see, is the earth chamber,"
A pale brow arched at the name given, hand moving to accommodate the pushy flower, she let it rest on the soft petal still waiting for more information.
"Normally this room wouldn't be available to you, despite the fact that it is attuned directly to your Auramere, it is mainly for recovery should you find yourself seriously injured then this is the place you would be brought."
Still listening intently she vaguely heard the footsteps come to stand next to her, concentration solely on the keeper, becoming more absorbed by the new information given.
"But seeing as you cannot leave, and there are no other rooms in which you can stay… there is little choice I have and—yes?"
She cocked her head at the sight of the guardian opening and then closing her mouth, though at her insistence the blonde decided to speak. "Do the others have this?"
It took the caretaker a few seconds to understand the question, but once she grasped her words a slow nod was her answer, "Yes. Each guardian has their own rooms based on different floors, as you can tell, yours is on the lowest one."
Still listening Cornelia let her head turn slightly to the shimmering waters of the pool, she had never seen water so clear in her life, her family had a privately owned swimming pool that was changed twice a week, but even then the water wasn't anything near as close to this… could she say flawless? Could something already transparent be so unblemished?
Unconsciously she took a step closer to the pool earning a questioning look from the keeper who had stopped talking on seeing the guardian's attention's elsewhere; two sets of eyes watched as she neared the water, the flower that was extending its stem to keep with her steps, followed. She reached the edge of the pool and bending down, let her fingers run underneath the surface; the small but alarming fact that she couldn't swim far from her mind as she gazed down in wonder.
"What are your thoughts guardian?" bringing her hand up the water that was cupped in her palm dribbled through her fingers, she watched as it trickled back into the collective before turning to face the waiting woman.
"How is this… how can water be so… not even Irma could make water this magical."
A rare smile and an even rather chuckle left the unwaveringly authoritarian keeper as she observed the scene and the awed bewilderment the younger girl displayed at something so ethereal, she watched the scene for a couple of more seconds before replying.
"You would be right about its properties being more than that of normal water, guardian." Cornelia turned around at her vague answer, waiting she kept her gaze firmly on the older woman for more, as Caleb moved over, now curious himself, to inspect the transcendent liquid.
"You also would be correct in guessing that the water guardian herself would not be able to create anything equal to this… as the water in this pool, hails from the island of Avalon."
Cornelia didn't think it was anymore possible for her to be shocked, but on hearing her mention the mythical land, completely threw the blonde whose jaw dropped on hearing its origins.
"Are you serious?"
A single nod was enough as she faced the water again. A disbelieving laugh escaping her lips. If anyone, thirteen months ago, was to have told her she would have the power over earth and by now, fought in a rebellion against a despot in order to restore her best friend to a throne she had no idea was hers; then she would have torn them a new one and gladly run them out of school for daring to have spoken to her, but fast forward those months and here she was; standing in a celestial citadel, joined by a feline hybrid and the love of her life, running her hand through water that came from a place read about in books and only speculated to be real.
An overwhelming surge of bizarreness flooded her body and she laughed again, Caleb knelt down beside her, craning his neck he eyed the water dubiously, wondering if that was the cause of her odd behaviour.
"What scholars wouldn't give to be standing here right now," she muttered absently, letting her fingers cut through the water once more before standing to her feet, the young boy followed suit before they both turned their attentions back to Luba.
"What about Irma's room? I mean— hers has to be full of this stuff, right?"
Luba tilted her head sideways a little, appearing to think on her question before responding. "Indeed she does have a pool similar to yours, though understandably a lot larger and the water residing there flows from Xanadu, rather than Avalon."
Hearing of yet another supposed legendary place of paradise, the blonde jumped on the balls of her feet smiling happily at the answer, "Oh, I am so telling Haylin about that one!" Luba merely smiled placidly at her enthusiasm before moving them on.
Finally they came to a third and final stop, Cornelia looked around as she realized they were back in the field of flowers and turned to Luba who was stood patiently.
"So what now?"
"This is where I leave you," the blonde twisted her head back to face her, "But… where are we meant to stay?"
Ignoring the use of her word as an invite for the leader to join her, Luba cast her gaze around the meadow before turning back and in another rare showing of a trait not cultivated from her years of professionalism, shrugged blithely.
"Wherever you choose,"
Cornelia was taken back at the offhand answer, giving them both a pleasant yet small smile, the keeper nodded to them before she turned and made her way towards the trees and back to the entrance, the younger girl watched her go, speechless to the parting words as she vanished through the trees leaving them officially alone.
Scoffing in incredulity at the woman's abrupt ending and departure, it took the gentle running of his thumb across her knuckles before her attention focused on him; she turned to see him smiling at her as all at once her slight moment of vexation vanished on seeing his crooked grin.
She truly could spend all day staring at that smile before he lifted her hand, a playful gleam in his eye as he spoke.
"Let's go explore!"
Her own grin emerged at his words, now unaccompanied they could go anywhere as she allowed him to pull her back across the field, before taking off at a run and quickly disappearing from sight on the other side of the foliage.
Without the watchful eyes of Luba they went everywhere, as far as the room extended; even managing to climb the large cliff and stood over the waterfall. Caleb had never seen anything so mesmerizing before, excluding the blonde in his arms he couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much life in vegetation before; nature back in Meridian was quickly flourishing now that Elyon was reigning but nothing could compare to what lay inside the room they stood in, he breathed deeply, inhaling the purified air just as a yawn escaped Cornelia's lips.
He glanced down at the blonde under his arm, "Tired?"
A small nod was his answer, she burrowed further into his body eyes closed and let her head rest on his chest. He watched her actions, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he turned them and very slowly, started guiding them back down the hill that led to the miniature forest.
Walking he started looking around. Luba had stated that they could make camp anywhere, and though forests were typically great places to find loose bolt holes as many a night he and Aldarn had done just that when out scouting or simply hiding; to his furthering dismay, this forest it seemed was just too intact to try and find a corner to rest.
Still pondering over their slight quandary he didn't notice that Cornelia had stopped until the loud creaking and rustling had him spinning on his foot. Turning instantly, his body shifted from relaxed to tense as he prepared himself to face what danger the noise might represent; the sight before him however, saw his hardened and battle ready posture slackening as he looked on in astonishment.
Unknown to him, she had also been thinking on their slight dilemma, silently as they walked she thought long and hard about where they could stay; not long after that she was surprised into stillness by the deep, baritone voice that suddenly cut through her thoughts. It wasn't Caleb, however masculine his voice sounded, there was still a smooth lightness to his tone; plus he was still walking so it couldn't have been him, this sounded low and ancient, carrying a sense of deep wisdom that the rebel leader certainly didn't possess as movement caused her to look left.
The huge Redwood, clearly the one that had interrupted her musings, shook itself into motion, its large branches moving and parting from where they had rested as she watched on in some confusion, before her face morphed into one of surprise and then delight as the thick branches revealed a tree hollow within its colossal trunk; the tree moved once more, lowering its mighty wooden limbs as it placed in front of the earth guardian.
It was obvious what it was offering, she smiled in warmth at how considerate the tree was being just as the rapid movement had her turning to see the young boy ready to spring against the unknown threat, he assumed, was behind them, only to slump in surprise at the sight of the blonde and then the nearly prostrating tree.
"Cornelia… what?"
Instead of replying, she simply threw herself forwards and grabbed his hand, the action startled him as he was dragged forwards before he found himself soon sprawled out on top of the branch, the blonde followed a second later as he manged to sit upright and turn his body to face her.
"Seriously, Cornelia, what is—Oh, jeez!"
He stopped talking then, wrapping his arms firmly around the now moving branch he held on for dear life, the tree slowly moved and was rising to its full height; hearing her light laughter caused some of his unease to lessen; no matter how much he saw there were still parts that made his heart race as a small hand on his back had him lifting his head.
Seeing her nod he then turned and looked to where she was pointing, as he to saw the medium sized cavity within the trunk, staring at the hole for a moment, he then smiled realizing that the tree must have known about their problem.
Or Cornelia had talked to it, as he doubted that it could hear his thoughts, but either way, it had solved their issue and so quickly he lifted his body and started moving down the limb and towards the hole. Reaching the entrance he turned and held his hand out, offering her his most gallant smile as he did. The sight caused her to laugh, as she accepted and he pulled her closer before they turned and took a look at what the tree wanted them to see.
It indeed was a hollowed out space, but unlike the small nooks that he hid in sometimes, the hole they stood in was large enough for the both of them at the same time; it was quiet deep as well, going back further into the trunk making him inwardly ponder just how huge the tree was circumference wise as he turned around on hearing her speak.
"It's perfect!"
As far as sleeping places went outside, it certainly was the best and so nodded in agreement. A pensive hum had him looking to see a small crease line appearing in the middle of her head as she gazed at the space in front of them.
"What's wrong?"
Still frowning, it took her a moment to respond. "I couldn't think of a better place to stay, I mean— if it weren't for rusty here, then I think we would still be facing our predicament."
"Rus-ty?"
Ignoring his confusion she kept her gaze firmly forwards, he followed her line of sight wondering just what could possibly be going through her head when she clicked her fingers, a delighted smile replacing her slight scowl.
"Got it!"
With that she turned back to the entrance leaving him more befuddled and stepped back out along the branch, he watched her go as she inched her way along until coming to a stop halfway and leaning over, glanced to the floor. He still had no idea what was happening, but by now had learnt to accept that there would always be parts to his beloved that he would never get, as she lifted her hand and very slowly, the stems that contained the leaves began to grow; they stretched out and made their way towards the blonde who stepped out of their way, hovering gently as they passed her by and he jumped on seeing them, moving just out of view as they made their way inside the hole and over to the other end.
Once they reached the far end of the trunk they started to shake, the leaves that were attached broke off and falling to the floor, replaced by another which followed as very soon a small pile formed on the floor; this carried on for a while- the leaves falling and growing, as the pile grew bigger until eventually the floor was inundated with greenery as they ceased their shedding. Job done, they slowly retreated from the hole, backwards until very soon they were normal size once more and the leaves that had broken off multiple times, showed no signs of ever having been replaced as she returned back to his side.
He gave her a questioning glance as she smiled in reply. "It was good, but there was no bed." She turned to the small mound hill, lips twisting slightly, nose crinkling.
"I mean if I had Haylin here, it would have just been easy to sweep the leaves from the ground, but what can you do,"
He chuckled before moving to where the tall pile lay, bending down he began to spread them out, patting them out far enough until at last he had created a decent enough bedding that wouldn't make lying on the rough surface uncomfortable, he nodded to himself, happy with his accomplishment and was about to turn around when he was tackled by a ninety five pound winged, blonde who had jumped on him.
He fell back taking her with him, as they crashed into the foliage and once he gathered his wits, looked up to see the playful smirk gracing her soft lips, azure eyes twinkling merrily as she lay above him, he scoffed humorously before pulling her down forcing a small shriek to escape her as soon they found themselves back in the field.
She lifted up and brushed the few stray hairs from his eyes before letting her hand rest on his chest. She sighed contently as he levelled her with another heart stopping grin before leaning down, with no hesitation about what he was going to do, she met him halfway as their lips crashed together and she slowly lowered her head back down, taking him with her. An arm snaking around his neck keeping him to her as they pushed themselves closer to each other, this time no Luba to tear them apart, with the pair slowly getting lost in each-others touch.
But five minutes later and they felt themselves being separated. The hybrid woman might not have been there physically, but it was like she was there spiritually as her gasp at seeing him pulled away, turned into laughter as she stared the sight of the flustered boy caught in the grips of a long whip-like branch. Clearly the tree had felt what they were up to and so doing its duty to protect its earth mistress from danger— no matter what it was, or who— it reached up and like a serpent it wrapped one of its more thinner branches around the rebel's body before hefting him away, the harsh tug caused him to yell and squirm as he was held aloft.
"What the—Cornelia! Don't just sit there laughing! Do something!"
He pushed on the branch but it was no use as the lithe blonde got to her feet, still amused at his entanglement before moving to speak to the tree and leaving him dangling; a couple of minutes went by before she returned, eyes alight with mirth as she made her way over to him.
"So, what's up, why hasn't it let me down yet?"
In all honesty she was still tickled by the conversation she had just had, never had she thought she would ever get that kind of lecture from a tree, coming to a stop in front of him, she pursed her lips, trying to find a good place to start, before speaking.
"Apparently there is to be no canoodling within the confines of Rusty's trunk."
His expression was priceless as he gaped at her, mouth open in shock, he spluttered indignantly at her statement.
"What? But we—I mean— we wasn't— wh-what?"
His embarrassment was enough to have her laughing once more, he lay limp in the branches grip still trying to process what it was the tree thought they were doing, before giving up in defeat and turned his unhappy scowl in her direction on hearing her obvious amusement at the subject.
"Well I'm glad someone's finding this entertaining," she coughed back a choked laugh at his petulant expression, arms folded he waited for her to quieten before speaking.
"Fine— whatever, tell… Rusty that nothing devious is happening under his roof… I mean trunk!" he sighed again and shook his head.
"Can he just let me down now… please,"
Hearing his almost doleful whine finally saw the guardian taking pity on him as she moved over and gently rapped on the side of the bark.
"Message received, you can let him go now," waiting as familiar rustling saw the branch unwind from around his torso and retracted, leaving him in mid-air, though not for long as gravity soon caught up with him and with a yell, dropped back to the ground, where he landed heavily.
Pursing her lips she scurried over to him and helped the downtrodden boy to his feet, he smiled grimly in thanks once back upright before casting his gaze around the tree, he once thought, innocuous, before turning back to her.
"Who says canoodling anyway?"
Rolling her eyes she led him back over to the bed of leaves as they settled back down, falling into arms once more, this time they kept a cautious distance from each-others mouths, fearful of the repercussions should they risk anything.
"Trees with greater vocabulary then you do,"
He snorted, taking off his coat and waited as she snuggled into his chest before throwing the long trench over them.
"Rusty needs better words… he's old
"Leave Rusty alone; he's a mature tree… yes he might use old fashioned words, but that's just who he is,"
Scoffing lightly at the absurdity of the fact they were arguing over a tree's usage of words, when not five minutes ago the same tree was mistreating his person; he shook his head at the silliness and earning an elbow to his ribs for his efforts.
Sniffing haughtily she burrowed further under his coat and grumbled something unintelligible, he smirked and ducked down, quickly assaulting her skin with kisses and earning a muffled yell, before he pulled her closer and closed his eyes.
Turning a little further in, she inhaled his musky scent and sighed in satisfaction, as the even breathing lulled her into sleep, he smiled at her dozing figure, feeling a lot more relaxed than normal and allowed the fact that they were safe in the confines of a protected chamber to get as much rest as possible. It wasn't every day that he got this and so relishing for once that there was threats, no oncoming danger and no Nerissa— at least not yet— he found the tension in his body slipping away as darkness took over.
What seemed like no time at all, Cornelia found herself being prodded awake. She groaned and lifted her head, blinking sleepily as the room they were in was dark and so took her a moment to remember where they were, as the same branch from before was gently poking her arm. Shifting in the vice grip she had found herself in, the blonde let out a yawn as her body was still heavy with fatigue, blinking a couple of more times she finally allowed cognizant thought to overtake her sleep addled mind, just as the sound of someone speaking had her realizing that the tree was talking to her.
Lifting her head she concentrated on his voice, smiling as he relayed to her the message he had been given; once he was done she thanked him and turned to the boy at her side, it seemed he hadn't been woken as his eyes remained closed and breathing gentle. Sensing the rare opportunity she used the precious few minutes as her eyes wandered across his features. He looked so peaceful; the worry lines that seem to permanently etch his face no longer existed, instead of a worn down fighter, here he was simply a teenage boy without a care in the world, much less one still heading a brigade against a vengeful ex-guardian hell bent on laying waste to all in her path; lifting a hand she gently traced it down the outline of his face, ghosting over the contours of his cheek and lips, marvelling at just how beautiful he truly was.
The summarization of Cornelia Hale back home, was beautiful; that was the word thrown at her all the time, boys in particular had used the adjective to describe her appearance, girls had also used it when asked to define the self-admittedly glamourized blonde, Elyon… Haylin… Will, all of them had used the word and whilst it pleased her to no end to know what they thought of her, she ultimately paid no attention to it; she already knew she was beautiful and so to her the word held no true meaning; it was only when Caleb called her that it struck something deep inside, that word leaving his mouth meant more to her than all the boys in Heatherfield put together… of all the girls in their envy (not unwarranted) and even winning gold in her ice skating competitions to complete that ten year winning streak.
But for all the words he used to tell her his feelings, she found that the word itself fit him perfectly, if awake he would have laughed and told her that the term was used for females only, but on observing his strong jaw and chiselled cheeks, she felt that there was no better word she could give that would adequately summarize his appearance and still had yet to find one that could express his importance in her life
Lost in her thoughts she jumped on feeling the hand grasping her own, looking down her eyes met the sleepy ones of the young boy as he yawned before speaking, his voice dripping with lethargy.
"What's wrong?"
His question made her smile, he could have fallen down a hill, broken both legs and still he would always ask after her, he really was a gift as she shook her head lightly.
"Nothing. Though Luba is asking for us, according to Rusty, there is a little green amphibian creature running about and annoying her; apparently he is looking for his 'best friend'"
His groan made her giggle as he grimaced at the passling's words, "One time. One time my tongue slips and I've never heard the end of it,"
He looked so adorable sulking that she fought the urge to tease him so more, instead she pushed herself to her knees and with effort, dragged him with her as he sat up, running a hand through his hair tiredly but still with his sleepy smile.
"That was a good nap,"
To her it seemed more than a nap, it was one of the best few hours' sleep she ever had, which was why she was never going to mention it as they got to their feet, if anyone—Taranee, especially, was to hear her say that then she could kiss whatever excuses she had to wriggle out of camping with her down the drain; she might have just gotten used to the fact that she commanded dirt, but one step at a time as they slowly made their way out of the hollow, the large branch they walked on descending with each step until they made it to the ground. turning around she lifted her head to the huge Redwood.
"Thanks Rusty, say hi to the saplings for me,"
With that they were off, if Blunk was in the citadel then chances were he was already one step passed his chance into not being kicked out, or eaten, she silently mused as they ran, it was a nauseous thought, but what did the caretaker actually eat? Was it cat food… or was someone like Blunk an acceptable dinner for the half-feline woman.
Arriving at the doors, she pushed that horrid question from her mind as they raced out the chambers and back the way they came, making their way up the halls until the sounds of shouting could be heard and they glanced at each other worriedly.
"Will you stop that!"
Crossing the distance they burst through the doors to the council room just in time to see Blunk go swinging from the white curtain, they watched as the passling sailed through the air, his laughter echoing around the hall before bouncing off the pillar and landing on the floor.
Rubbing his head the small creature got to his feet just as Luba turned her attentions to the newcomers, her ire evident to see as she hissed at them.
"He said that you told him to come here, is this true?"
Caleb sucked in through his teeth, give him Phobos, give him a thirty foot snake, but when an angry cat was giving you evils he felt his courage dim as a loud yell saw Blunk crashing into his legs, having heard the angry question the little passling turned around, face lighting up at the sight of the rebel leader.
"Caleb here!"
The boy in question glanced down to see the tiny passling wrapped around his legs, wincing in slight distaste as Blunk looked up,
"Blunk came for best friend Caleb. Blunk not let friend down, see."
He lifted up his arm to show the broken wristwatch he had obtained showing the face down. "Blunk got here right on time, only mean lady wouldn't let Blunk go and find you,"
A snarl came from the side of them just as large bottle eyes turned to see Cornelia, "Blondie girl, you're here to!"
Cornelia gave the happy passling a small smile and nod as he quickly moved over and repeated his hug, her hand shooting up to latch on to Caleb's shoulder when the thin but strong arms grabbed her calf's, causing her to stumble a little.
"But where are the rest of girls,"
Once the spontaneous hugs had been given, Blunk then searched the room for the others but saw none, scratching his head he looked back to the two in front of him just as Luba came forward, her eyes focused on the tiny creature in disdain.
"They are not here, just like you should not be either,"
Blunk went to speak but the ferocious look levelled at him had the cowardly passling running to hide behind the boys legs, the serious lady was no fun and he knew that his friend would protect him, best friends always helped each other as she rolled her eyes before returning back to the duo.
"I think goodbyes are in order, once you leave security will be tightened so if possible, try to send word before you arrive; I do not wish to have any unfortunate accidents occur, not after so many have already happened."
He nodded as she left them to each other once more, he sighed and turned around to face the blonde who looked sad at his impending departure, smiling he grasped her hand and held it tight to his chest.
"Don't worry, it won't be for long. I'll be back before old Redwood can give you another talk about canoodling."
His words caused the guardian to erupt into laughter, the giggles rang around the hall making a few of the others stare at them with mixed reactions; the guards in bewilderment and Luba with another pained grimace, the sooner they all left, the sooner she could get back her peace and quiet as he reached out to twirl a lock of her hair around her fingers.
"Anytime now, please!"
The curt words cut through their farewells making them both sigh in frustration, but ultimately knowing that it was time to leave, at his nod Blunk used his Tonga tooth to open a fold that would take them back to Meridian, before something caught his attention and he wandered off.
Caleb sighed again as he looked to the fold then back to her, he really had to go but he just couldn't find it in him to pry himself away, it was maddening, he would only be gone a day— a day and half at most so why was he reluctant to leave now?
From the look on her face Cornelia didn't seem to mind him not going, in fact she wanted him to stay as they kept close together and not seeing the exasperated look given to them by Luba, who by now had gotten more than a little pissed off at their lingering as she made her way over.
"This is getting ridiculous now!"
As she walked, one of the guards standing in front of the bubble kicked out at Blunk who had been sniffing around the sentries, with a screech the passling threw himself backwards to avoid the heavy boot and went tumbling over, passing the in motion caretaker who stopped on witnessing his fall and crashed into the back of Cornelia's legs.
The blonde gave a small scream in fright and jumped forwards into the young boy who stumbled back, the once loving grip on her hair turned tight as a long strand of it was still wrapped around his fingers, instinctively she moved forwards to alleviate the pain and as she was the only thing keeping him upright, he lost his momentum and fell into the portal, the long lock of hair keeping them connected yanked her down and forced her head first through the fold after him, disappearing from sight as Blunk jumped to his feet.
On seeing the space now devoid of either his friend or blondie, he carefully turned to see the reaction of the mean lady and leapt to avoid the oncoming swipe the irate hybrid aimed on seeing what his actions had caused, still unsure of what having the Auramere inside would do, Luba needed the guardian to stay as close to the others as possible, but now on having just watched her fall in after the rebel, turned her ire to the one responsible.
"AH! Blunk sorry, Blunk only wanted to look at shiny stuff!"
Another swipe saw the passling leap towards the crease and dived through, landing on the other side and back to safety as the fold, now having done its job, vanished into nothingness.