Author's Note: I do not own W.I.T.C.H.
Chapter One – Adjusting
It has been some time since the defeat of the evil Prince Phobos at the hands of his own sister, Elyon. Once her actual coronation was finished, the land was at peace and the inhabitants of Meridian now know happier days. As it seemed her life on Earth has ended, Elyon sits on the throne of Meridian and guides her people with compassion and understanding.
Yet even a Queen needs her education, the governess who filled in the position as one of her tutors had to return to her previous duties, leaving the nurse Galgheita as her only teacher. However she couldn't handle every subject, so they began to search for a replacement for the governess. A man by the name of Haritus was hired to be the second tutor. This was six months ago.
One of the perks of being a royal tutor is having one's own private chambers. He was tucked deep into the blankets of his futon bed. Tossing and turning, he was reliving one of his memories, a memory he wished to forget.
"You die now, Haritus!" A deep voice bellowed.
He remembered the hot ash flickering across his face and the smoke choking his lungs.
"Haritus, if you are going to do something…do it now!"
"All right, we have no choice! Open the Door!"
Then he awoke with a start as he shot up. He caught his breath as beads of sweat dropped down his body. He looked at his hands and took deep breathes to assure himself that was a dream. After a moment, he pulled off of his covers and pushed the bed curtains aside.
"I need some fresh air."
He walked toward the balcony door and opened it. The feel of stone under his feet was comforting as was the night air. He walked over to the edge of the balcony and rested his arms against the stone railing. The view of the city at this time of night was beautiful and yet filled him with sadness.
Though he didn't know it, Haritus had an audience. A few stories above his own, Elyon looked down at him from her balcony. She could feel the sadness he was experiencing, though she had it too. She was missing Heatherfield and her friends, the guardians.
She whispered, "Why do you feel sad, Haritus?"
The man's eyes widened and he turned around, closing the balcony door behind him. She clasped a hand over her mouth.
"Did he hear me?"
He drew the balcony curtains closed and did so with the bed curtains. With this, he tucked himself in and went to sleep once more. This time, he didn't have any dreams or nightmares.
The next morning, Elyon went to the dining hall with the royal procession escorting her. The procession consisted of her two trusted advisors, Caleb and Vathek as well as her adoptive parents, Alborn and Miriadel. There were ten soldiers, five making two lines on either side of the five. This was the standard for going to breakfast.
When she arrived, the other soldiers who were sitting at the tables arose from their seats and saluted their queen. With a wave of her hand, they sat back down and continued enjoying breakfast. She sat on the throne of the dining hall with Caleb on one side and Miriadel on the other side, to her side was Alborn and then Vathek.
A few minutes passed before Haritus walked through the door.
He bowed down and whispered, "Forgive my lateness, your majesty, I overslept."
"Haritus, I've told you to call me Elyon."
"Until you are no longer the Queen of Meridian, this is how I will address you…your majesty." He smiled.
She rolled her eyes, "May you take your seat, Haritus?"
He bowed again, "I will be glad to do so, your majesty."
His seat was on the other side of Vathek, who was not too pleased to see this newcomer into the castle, but he did tolerate him for being one of his Queen's tutor. However it was Caleb who was more concerned than his friend. He raised his stein to his lips and leaned over to his Queen.
"Elyon, I wish you wouldn't spend so much time with him." He whispered.
"Caleb, there is nothing for you to worry about. He is one of the nicest people here on Meridian."
"I wouldn't be too sure, he kind of reminds me of someone…someone that almost killed you."
She looked toward his direction. His pale blonde hair was shaped like an upside-down bowl on the top, but his hair dropped down the sides to just under his chin and in the back, it dropped down to just under the shoulder blades. His skin had a slight gray tint as if he had just died.
"Now that you mention it, he does look like my brother. But he is nothing of the sort, my brother was evil and cruel, Haritus is kind and gentle."
"I've been a little suspicious of him since he was caught in the Royal Library in the middle of the night. It was only during his first month that it happened."
"But he explained it to me and he was pardoned."
"It isn't the only thing I've discovered, my investigation of him has uncovered some important facts that must be shared with you."
She looked him square into his eyes, "You held an investigation of my tutor without my knowledge?"
"Yes, Elyon. I did it to protect you."
"This is unacceptable, Caleb. You should have talked with me first…" His eyes wandered away from her in disappointment at himself, she sighed, "…very well. I will hear what you have found out, but not now and not here."
"Thank you, Elyon."
Their conversation ended for now and they finished breakfast. The royal procession disbanded and went to their duties. Haritus escorted Elyon to a study where they could be alone for the morning's lesson. It was three hours of math and history, but they both enjoyed it.
Near the end, he gazed at the clock.
"Well we are getting close to the end of the day's lesson, are there any questions you may have about the material covered?"
She shook her head, "None at all, you are a brilliant teacher."
He smiled, "Thank you, your majesty. I do have to say this is the eighth lesson in a row where you haven't asked a question. Is there anything wrong?"
She looked at his hazel eyes, "Well there's…nothing."
She turned her head away, but he persisted.
"It's all right, you can tell me anything."
She gazed into his eyes again, "Later today, one of my advisors is meeting with me to discuss an investigation he's done on you. I want to know if there is anything I need to be worried about."
His smile widened slightly and he walked over to Elyon. Getting down on one knee to be at eye-level, he took her hands in his and looked directly into her eyes.
"Your majesty, there is nothing I am hiding that is a threat to you or Meridian. I promise you this."
She sighed in relief, "Thank you, Haritus. I needed to hear this."
"Lunch will be starting soon. Would your majesty like me to escort you back?"
It was her turn to smile, "Yes, I would like that."
Through the course of lunch, the only thing that happened was Caleb and Elyon set a time and place to hold an audience to discuss the findings of his investigation. The war room was a large room with a banquet table and plenty of chairs usually reserved for generals. The walls were covered with maps depicting various areas all over Meridian.
Elyon took the seat reserved for her and Caleb knelt down in front of her.
"What do have to report?"
"The guards that patrol the castle tell me that no one has seen your tutor anywhere in the castle between lunch and dinner. Not even the maids that clean his private chambers have seen him…not once."
She rubbed her chin, "He does tend to be a little reclusive. Despite our many lessons, he rarely divulges anything about himself."
"The guards at the front gate haven't seen him go into the city. The only time they can recall ever seeing him was when he entered for the tutoring position."
"Well, this is not too much of a concern. I mean I haven't left the castle since I've gotten here either."
"True, but there are stranger things I've found out. He roams the castle late at night and always seems to be talking to himself when he thinks he's alone."
"What are you asking of me, Caleb? What do you suggest?"
"Well, there is the matter of the Dark Horn Cult that has arisen in the outer regions. It could be possible that he is with them?"
She looked shocked, "Why would you say that?"
"Because, your majesty, the cult and him appeared at the same time."
"What?"
"The last thing we've uncovered is searching through the royal archives. There is no record of him ever being born on Meridian. It seems he wasn't born on this world."
"But it is also possible his record is lost amongst the thousands yet to be organized or his record is simply missing?'
"Why are you going out of your way to defend him? Six months have passed since his arrival and six months since reports of the cult came flooding in, so why?"
She closed her eyes and remembered the words and his sincere expression, "Your majesty, there is nothing I am hiding that is a threat to you or Meridian. I promise you this."
She opened her eyes, "Because he told me to trust him and he did it sincerely. If you want my permission to continue your investigation, you have it. However, no punishment nor harm will be given without my authority."
"Yes, Elyon, as you wish."
Haritus walked calmly down the hallway, feeling good about today. The smile on his face showed the pride he has about being a tutor.
"Feeling confident, are we?" A voice whispered from seemingly nowhere.
"Shh…you aren't supposed to talk unless we are alone in either the room or training area."
"I just wanted to tell you that your precious queen and her advisor had concluded their meeting."
"What's the verdict?"
"They are going to be keeping a close eye on us. I suggest we lay low for a while."
Haritus pulled up the sleeve of his robe and looked at the small astronomical clock around his wrist.
"We can't afford it. We are running out of time."
"You can't do anything in prison either. For now, we should take things easy and see how they develop."
He walked into his chambers and closed the door behind him.
"Agreed, but first I need to train."
"To the training area, then?"
He nodded and closed his eyes. This part he hated the most, the instant cold rushed up his body as his shadow crept up around him. He lifted his chin as he was bathed in darkness. When he could no longer be seen, the shadow shrunk into a sphere and continued to shrink until he was gone.
Next Chapter, Kandrakar calls its Guardians as more suspicions of Haritus arise.