A/N: Yay for my first W.I.T.C.H. fanfic. There simply aren't enough of them IMO.
"Mother, when I become King I'll make Meridian an honest place. No more lies or deceit, no more corruption or stealing. In my kingdom, they won't have to resort to things like that," The blond haired boy said happily, swinging his legs as he sat on the throne's edge.
"My, my, such ambitions," Queen Weira said with a small smile. "I suppose that means you'll surpass me someday."
"Of course! Every generation must be better than the last or there will be no progress."
"When did you become such a poet, Phobos?"
The prince smiled brightly at the compliment, "Maybe I always was."
"Perhaps. Now, use that poetic tongue of yours to make a friend."
"A friend?" He asked, his expression turning sour. "You know how that always turns out."
"Now, now, don't think like that," Weira chided. "For your 9th birthday I've gotten the Baron Salazar to join your royal court. He'll teach you magic."
"Salazar?" He questioned, a look of surprise clear on his face. "The famous mage?"
"Of course. It's never too early to start. Besides, you should build your magical prowess as soon as possible."
"Am I supposed to make friends with my future teacher?"
"Oh no, no," The queen chuckled with amusement. "Rather, his son. I think you two will get along well." The boy opened his mouth, ready to protest but his mother simply held up her hand in a 'wait for it' manner. "Just stand like the prince you are and see what happens. You haven't even met him yet but they'll be here any minute."
"...Fine," Phobos grumbled as he leaped off the gold throne and stood beside it. Impeccably, a loud knock rang through the throne room.
"Queen Weira! The Lord Salazar has arrived with his son," One of the guards announced.
"Enter!" Weira called out in a queenly tone. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she glanced at her son, "Ready or not, here they come," which caused Phobos to cringe considerably.
The large doors swung open easily, the guards flanking each side, as a man and a small boy entered. The two guards shut the door quietly and the older man bowed before the red haired Queen and the prince. "Greetings Your Majesty. I am most delighted that you would invite me to your castle."
"Rise, Baron. I'm glad you could come. This is my son Phobos," She said, motioning toward her son who was still standing stiffly beside her.
"It is an honor my prince. I look forward to your lessons with me," Salazar stated as he smiled at Phobos, though his eyes were ice cold.
"Likewise," Phobos replied shortly, his tone not matching his word at all as his eyes narrowed into an almost unnoticeable glare.
"This is my son, Cedric," He stated, placing a hand on the small boy's shoulder.
Cedric bowed politely and stated in a tense, determined voice, "It's a pleasure to meet you both!"
"Why don't you two go outside and get to know each other? I'm sure you'll get along famously."
Phobos shot his mother a livid look which was returned with a simple wink and a proud smirk. Grudgingly, the bleached blond boy let his arms fall beside him as he walked briskly down the stairs. As he passed Cedric the other boy followed behind like a baby duck. A white light coursed between the central seam of the doors and they creaked open, much to the shock of the guards. Nevertheless they bowed in the Prince's presence and as soon as he had walked down the hall they shut the doors.
"That was amazing!" Cedric said, his voice giddy.
"Not really…" Phobos mumbled. It was always like this. He was the Prince of Meridian and thus every child he had come into contact with either shunned him or kissed up to him like no tomorrow.
"But it was! With powers like that why do you need my dad to tutor you?" He asked curiously, his tone completely changing.
Phobos' interest was slightly piqued by how Cedric had changed moods so quickly but allowed it to pass, telling himself it wouldn't matter in a few minutes. "I didn't decide it. My mother did."
"Well...I'm glad she did," Cedric began, almost shyly. "It gives us a chance to be friends."
Phobos stopped in his tracks, Cedric halting a few feet behind him. "Friends…?" He mumbled in a hushed voice. A small, barely audible chuckle escaped his lips, the laugh growing slowly in volume. "Friends? Hah! This'll end up like every other time someone's wanted to be 'friends." His laugh immediately ceased as his eyes shot ice at Cedric. "I'll admit though, you almost had me fooled."
Cedric raised a blonde eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb," Phobos said, his eyes sharp as he stared at the other boy, his amusement completely subsided now.
"I'm not!" Cedric protested, his tone determined and his expression deathly stubborn.
"Right," Phobos drawled sarcastically. "I've been through this time and time again, don't presume to test me further." The prince haughtily spun around and continued on the way he had been going before.
Cedric's eyes widened as he watched Phobos walk off before rushing after the prince, his resolve set. For a while a tense silence fell over the two as Phobos strutted through the halls and Cedric right behind, his green cloak flowing as he nearly jogged to keep pace.
"Stop following me," He growled, his leather boots clicking on the floor sharply.
"No," Cedric stated calmly as his steps matched the prince's perfectly.
Phobos stopped abruptly and so did Cedric. "I… I am the prince," He began, his voice lowered into a growl, "and right now...right now, I order you to stop! Go away!" The prince boy whipped around abruptly, fury in his eyes and a scowl marring his face.
Salazar's son didn't so much as flinch. "I get it," He said, his voice quiet. Phobos let out a small sight, almost glad that Cedric would go away. Sadly (for him at least) that wasn't the case. "I get it. You're scared that I'm the type of person you hate most. It's a common thing for royalty. Everyone has an ulterior motive right? That's what you think. That's the notion that's been set into your mind and now you've become too stubborn to do anything about it."
The prince narrowed his pale green eyes into a dangerous expression. "You had better shut your trap before I hex you to never speak again."
"It's true isn't it?" Cedric continued, pressing on. "I know, alright? I get it."
Phobos remained apathetically silent before turning back around and continuing to walk away. Again, Cedric followed behind the younger boy. In silence, Phobos led their way down to the first floor and out a humble door to the gardens. Cedric's arm immediately flew up to shield his eyes from the blinding light. He took a few seconds for his eyesight to adjust and he slowly blinked as he looked around. The boy sucked in a sharp gasp as he saw where he was. The garden. Beautiful flowers of all sorts of colors grew in neat, organized bushels and trees sprouted in a grid-like fashion. The beautiful landscape was pristinely organized in a civilized form of nature.
It took a few moments for Cedric to snap out of his stupor enough to see that Phobos was already walking away. The boy immediately jolted into action and ran after him. Phobos headed down a thin dirt road and the further they went the more unruly the foliage became. Large, ancient trees loomed overhead to shadow them, blotting out the sun and sky. Finally, Phobos stopped inside a clearing that allowed some spots of light to filter through and promptly sat down against a rock facing a small pond.
"Sit," He commanded and for the first time Cedric listened to him.
"This is a nice place," He commented awkwardly as he sat beside the prince.
"It's my favorite place on the castle grounds," Phobos replied, his voice still relatively emotionless but at least he wasn't talking to Cedric with scorn in his voice anymore.
"Yeah...I like it too… It's nice and quiet and peaceful," He said, looking at Phobos with a smile.
For the first time in a long time, Phobos Escanor smiled softly back.
Honestly it's going to take forever to post new chapters, I'll just warn you of that. RR?