From the Heart
Even the best laid plans...
Phobos stood overlooking Meridian from his palace. His face betrayed no emotion, but he was furious within.
The Guardians! The rebels! Weak and pathetic next to his power, and yet they always triumphed, and yet they always stopped his plans! He controlled an entire planet, he had legions of Lurdens under his control, he had powers they could only dream of...
And yet five girls and a rabble of insignificant, malnourished rebels always managed to triumph over him.
He angrily spat over the balcony. If his plan succeeded, then he would have nothing more to fear from those troublesome Guardians and their pathetic rebel friends.
He heard a cough from behind, Cedric making his daily reports no doubt.
Sighing deeply, he strode back into the Castle chamber, silently stopping before a large model map of Metamoor.
"What have you got for me today Cedric?" he asked quietly, with an air of deadly calm and barely contained anger.
Cedric nervously cleared his throat, the Prince had been very tense the past few weeks, and he didn't want to anger him,
"The...err," the naga hesitated for a moment. Phobos looked him straight in the eyes,
"The what?" he asked calmly, though there was a heavy undertone of fury.
Cedric shifted uneasily,
"The rebelsss and Guardianss have destroyed..." he hesitated once again. Phobos angrily drew in breath,
"What, Cedric?" he asked firmly, his eyes cold and hard, his voice reflecting his mounting rage, though his face betrayed nothing.
"They've dessstroyed another mine. All the prisoners were sset free, my lord."
Phobos gave a cry of pure rage, slamming his fist onto the model of Meridian, crushing a small village,
"How do they do this!?" he roared, angrily crushing the remains of the village into dust, "That's the third this week!"
Cedric watched quietly as he watched the Prince mash another model village into pulp. It was true, the Guardians and the rebels had grown bolder and more frequent in their attacks. And they were winning.
Phobos stopped his furious attack on the planet-map,
"Never mind..." he whispered, "Never mind..."
He turned to Cedric, "Step up the search for my sister! I want that Princess found, before the Guardians get to her!"
The naga bowed,
"Isss that all ssire?" he hissed, still wary of Phobos' temper.
Phobos shook his head, a smile beginning to dance on his lips,
"No, no. I need a Guardian, anyone of them will do." he murmured, before repeating himself, louder.
Cedric shook his head slightly,
"My lord, it'ss almost imposssible to capture a Guardian, the five of them are..."
Phobos, who had been moving away, swirled round to face him in a swish of robes, interrupting the naga mid-sentence,
"Cedric, are you disputing my orders!?" he roared, his anger flaring up again. Insubordination was the last thing the Prince needed, especially with the damned rebels and Guardians attacking him at every turn and crushing every one of his best-laid plans.
The snake hastily shook his head,
"No my lord, never. Your ordersss are alwayss obeyed to form. You know that, my lord Prince."
Phobos sighed,
"Then obey, you fool." he muttered audibly, before turning back round and leaving back to his balcony. Cedric gave a bow, a less-than-happy look plastered on his face, before slithering out.
Phobos looked out over Meridian again, taking in the dark and bleak landscape. He watched the people scurry through the muddy streets of the city, like little ants. His thoughts turned to the wretched Guardians and their pathetic rebel allies. Soon, if all went according to plan, they would be no threat. But that was if that imbecilic naga managed to get him that needed Guardian, any Guardian would do for the plan he had devised, and that was only if the plan worked, of course.
And then there was his sister, the Princess, the rightful heir to the throne of Metamoor. He spat again. Once he found his dratted sister, he'd be sure to drain every ounce of her power. And then, not even Kandrakar and their flimsy Veil would stop him.