Here it is, the next chapter,
I would like to thank everyone that commented it's so nice to hear you all enjoy reading this. I just thought with the lack of CxC on this site I would write something that appeases both my active imagination and all those that love this pairing together.
On saying that I do try and keep them in character as much as possible, that said I have only seen the TV series and so only have that to go on; but I have read Cornelia's comic wiki and so have tried my best in incorporate that into my story so there is a little of both versions to make it believable. I know that the comic version is more mature than the shows one but I think that is where poor Corny fell victim to the generic 'blond haired, blue eyed' spoiled rich brat portrayal that Disney always insist on having.
Anyway, this one will hopefully be an amalgamation of both but still have the traits that won't make her seem to OOC, so if in any way readers fid that she is… sorry.
Now on with the chapter, I don't own WITCH and any mistake that people might see, please ignore as I have tried my best to find and correct them all.
Happy reading
Pulling the newly purchased cloak over her shoulders, Cornelia tied the clips together around her neck before smoothening out the fabric, Caleb stood next to her still looking out over the small market place just as a small touch had him turning to see her smiling at him.
"Ready?"
With a nod he took her hand as they set off up the path; still keeping to the sides despite the cloak as his thoughts now turned back to the problem of a hiding place, they could go back to the Inn and wait it out in his dads room, it was secluded and peaceful and now that there was no danger there was no fear of bringing harm to the occupants of the tavern for hiding them.
"Let's go for a walk,"
Vaguely hearing her speak, he slowly turned his head to look at her, still deep in thought about their next location.
"What?"
""Let's go for a walk."
"… A walk,"
She rolled her eyes but smiled playfully as she nodded, "Yes, a walk," he stared at her silently quizzical for a few seconds before replying.
"But we are already walking." It was a good thing he was so handsome, this amount of obtuseness from one person would have had her scorning the unlucky idiot; but she loved him, and so merely shook her head again.
"I know that, but I meant; let's just go someplace,"
"Someplace… are you feeling alright?" he gazed at her with more worry in his eyes as she sighed. Screw love, there was only so much ignorance that not even a chiselled face could make up for and so turned around, still with his hand in hers, as she dragged him the opposite way they came, all the while dismissing his protests as she led him from the markets place. Eventually he gave in, but only because he realized it was doing him no good and once it dawned on him that she wanted to go exploring; he hesitated at first, but then pushed down the part telling him that it was best to wait someplace close to Blunk, but the passling had great scent, if he wanted to he could find them no problem and so obliged to her wish.
Another part of him was happy that she asked. Now that Phobos was off the throne and peace had been restored, the rest of the kingdom had steadily turned from the once miserable and bleak wasteland, back to the vast paradise Meridian had once been known for; he had been awed the first time he saw her, and when the guardians fully immersed themselves within the cause against the prince, he had been desperate to show them-her, that the place she stood wasn't at all what it seemed; that the land he lived in held a brilliance and once the shadows were removed, she would see that she no longer had to be the only rose surrounded by nettles, but instead would finally be able to stand among a beauty befitting her own.
Well that time was now, and as they walked towards the forest, he felt strangely happy about their impromptu detour; now that he could see the trees full of greenery once more and the wildlife running free without the fear of being hunted, he knew she'd at long last be able to see with her own eyes what he had only been able to speak off before now as he hurried their pace, earning a questioning glance from her but soon found herself running as they raced each other into the trees.
Running as fast as she could, Cornelia dodged his attempts, weaving in and out of the large trunks, occasionally uplifting a loose root to try trip him but he always knew and jumped when she did, as they made their way towards the great lake; emerging through the trees, the blonde turned around, hovering just a little off ground so she didn't fall back as seconds later, she was followed by the young rebel as he burst through the clearing.
He stopped on seeing her teasing smile; before slowly walking again as he made his way over to her, "I won,"
He scoffed. "You cheated," her nose crinkled in mock disgust at his words. "You are a sore loser,"
She gently lowered herself back to the ground never taking her eyes off his approaching form. "Say's miss-I have wings and earthy powers, therefore can fly or trip up my enemies on my way to victory,"
It was her turn to scoff at his assertion. No matter how right he might have been. Their small stare off lasted for another minute off so, before she felt the corners of her mouth twitch and her resolve broke, craning her neck just a fraction (She was so glad she was rather tall for her age) and distracted him with a brief peck to his lips. He rolled his eyes at the knowing smile when she pulled back and shook his head; it was a battle he was never going to win and so moved on as she turned her head to the side.
"Where is this place?"
"Aralkum lake," turning they faced the large body as she gazed out over the expanse of water in front of them, though there was nothing now that could compare to the Avalonian waters found in the Earths' chamber back in Kandracar, she still couldn't help but admire the magnificence the lake created; it was no wonder Caleb so was so proud of where he came from, if Heatherfield had even a half of what this forest held she might be a little more inclined to like the city she lived in more as she smiled in awe at the sight.
"It's beautiful,"
He turned his head to see her admiring expression, he was in agreement, the lake was one of Meridian's greatest natural treasures, he could remember a time when the waters were clean but that was so long ago it was almost a distant memory; luckily the citizens no longer had to worry about the safety of their drinking supply any longer.
"It is," before moving so he was standing behind her, sliding his arms around her waist he let his head rest on her shoulder, as she smiled shyly at the unexpected gesture.
"But not as beautiful as you,"
"Hmm, you really know all the right words don't you?" she twisted to face him as he smiled, eyes lifting to the sky as he appeared to think something over before nodding.
"I try,"
They stayed like that for a while, in comfortable silence with the only sounds around them coming from the birds and other small creatures as they went about their day; Cornelia sighed in contentment as she lay against his chest, never could she have imagined a more perfect setting. Well she could… several actually, but standing within such a tranquil background watching the nature of the forest as it should be, she couldn't have been more at ease.
Regardless of what most people assumed to think of her, she might have been a person who enjoyed a materialistic lifestyle—having rich parents and a trust fund would certainly afford that— and it was that way before they became guardians; but contrary to what they saw on the front, there were times she had enjoyed the more simplistic side of life. It was just a little more hidden to the rest who saw her.
More so after having been endowed with the powers of earth; given that the element was the foundation for which all life stood, it was also like the element had also given her a second sight. Not in the sense of a seer, but a sort of clarity that allowed the blonde to see beyond what she at first perceived to be disgusting and useless. The first time she stepped out into the forest it nearly overwhelmed her at just how alive it was, the first time she heard the trees it nearly brought her to tears. Never before had she thought what grew around them to be so wise, so deeply calming, she had been so enraptured as they shared with her the stories of what they had witnessed as they grew, that for the first time ever, she had spent an entire night outside and not once complained.
But with the good came the bad and as much as she loved being able to hear their voices, to be able understand their needs, she also heard their pain and given the fact that trees on earth were often cut down for their substantial properties, before it wouldn't have bothered her, but now she felt sadness.
Something that was always followed quickly by anger when she walked through the park and saw little children swinging from branches; tugging and pulling them back as they played their games, the leaves plucked carelessly from their stems and thrown to the ground, trampled and crushed underfoot like they were nothing… like they couldn't feel pain and left to die alone.
Sure one could argue that they were little kids, they didn't know any better and it was merely harmless fun, but it wasn't them getting harmed, and the blonde was getting sick of going out in the middle of the night to replace what was lost, only to have it all undone the next day. It was like their idiot parents taught them nothing on how to respect what was around them. Without trees there would be no life, without trees there would be no way for them to breathe, and yet they still destroyed the foliage without a care.
It was times like that she really hated humanity; the anthropocentric thinking of those greedy enough to tear down the planets precious resources simply for their own gain; didn't they know that it wouldn't last forever? That the trees, though able to grow back, would take hundreds of years to fully reach their glorious heights they once stood and even then it would be far weaker than before.
Of course they did, they knew but they still tore down in order to line their pockets. She hated it, and she hated them. She might have been trying to repair the damage done, no matter how small, but there would come a time when she wouldn't have these powers, a time when she wouldn't be able to heal and she feared that day for there would be no more help for the nature of earth. They were selfish… she had been selfish.
"Hey, are you ok?"
A gentle touch brought her out of her brooding thoughts as she lifted her head to see him staring at her, concern etched over his features; Caleb had also been enjoying the peacefulness of the forest, standing here with the girl of his dreams in a place that never failed to make him relaxed inside, it was more than he could ask for. After a while he noticed that she had yet to speak, a rarity for the blonde and so glanced down before quickly becoming startled at the darkened look that had taken over.
He stared alarmed, what could have possibly happened to make her look so ominous, it wasn't too long ago that she looked serene and now she looked… well if he was honest, murderous. It had him worried and kept his gaze on her as she looked to him.
They stared at each other for a moment, before the look faded from her face; instead she forced a smile to her lips and shook her head.
"It's nothing,"
"Cornelia," she looked deeply into his eyes, they held so much apprehension at what was bothering her that for a few seconds she was going to, but then realized that no matter how attuned they might have been this was one thing he would never understand and so forced a sigh from her lips as she looked down slightly.
"I was just… thinking, of when we eventually get back to Kandracar; of what will happen or has Luba managed to find anything yet."
Still keeping his eyes on her, Caleb was quiet as she finished, determined not to let him see the lie she resumed her own stare as if challenging him to say otherwise. After a moment of silence he inhaled deeply before nodding, she let out the small breath she had been holding, she wasn't sure whether he believed her or not but at that moment she didn't care, as he tightened his grip before replying.
"I don't know, but I'm sure she won't have waited, she strikes me as the type to take her job seriously and having one of the Auramere's missing will be undoubtedly causing her all kinds of panic,"
She smiled at the image of the feline hybrid frantically scouring the books in the library as he carried on. "But I'm sure she'll have found something by the time we get back; just don't worry about it, you're here now so relax."
She stood up taller, a hand coming to rest on his cheek, he was right, at that moment there was nothing they could do and so let her body melt once more in his arms; she might have hated humans at various points in life, but she could never hate him.
"As wonderful as this place is," he looked down again when she spoke, "I wanted to see where your favourite place was."
He paused for a moment, lips pursed as he thought over her question. She kept her gaze on him as he pondered, before a smile crept over his face and he nodded to her request.
"Ok, there is one place that I like to go that trumps this," her brow arched at his statement. The place they stood was already amazing, she didn't think there was any other that could beat it, but she followed him as they left the side of the bank and further off into the forest. She didn't live here, she had no clue apart from the places they had already been and so trusted his judgement implacably.
Twenty minutes later and she was stumped. He had taken them to another lake, but this was below the bottom of a huge cliff, a waterfall thundered off the side as they started to climb the back of the rock face, holding the edges of her skirt she scaled the steep surface as he helped her, pulling her up easily as they reached the top.
Giving him a smile in thanks she turned her attention to the view presented to her and gasped at what she saw. Standing next to him, she could see the entirety of Meridian; her eyes took in the sprawling fields of green, over to where the kingdom stood and atop the earthen pedestal, the heart of the jewel itself, the palace, stood glorious and proud, the setting sun providing a backdrop of golden and red as the colours bled together along the horizon creating a vision fitting for a place of such grandeur. She shook her head slightly, in complete awe at the scene.
"It's… magnificent," she breathed out, her eyes unable to leave the view before her, was this really how they lived, being able to see such wonder each and every day, it was little surprise then that the people of Meridian truly seemed happier than ever. At first she had only presumed their sorrow came from the fact that Phobos was in power and was causing their misery, but now that she saw just what the land truly was like, their mourning for their home suddenly made a lot more sense to her.
"What is this place?"
Caleb had been watching her reaction and wasn't disappointed, seeing her amazement brought another smile to his lips at just how quickly she seemed to fall in awe, of course it wasn't hard as Meridian really was a stunning place; but it made him feel even more happier at the fact that she above all had taken so strongly to his homeworld.
"Magenzian falls,"
She was silent as he spoke a bit about the place they stood; he smiled wistfully as his thoughts turned into memories.
"When I was younger, me and my dad would come here and fish. Get up super early and just spend the whole day diving for all sorts,"
He was enjoying himself she could tell, his tone becoming lighter with each snippet of his life he told, the look on his face as he talked about the times spent with Julian, albeit not in a time of peace as Phobos was still terrorizing the people, but on the rare occasions that they could afford to relax, he made sure they made the most of it.
"Sounds like you two are really close,"
Caleb turned to her and nodded. There wasn't really a time he couldn't remember when he wasn't close to his father, after all it had only been him and the older man for most of his life, apparently his mother upped and left when he was just a few months old and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to recall her face. But in the end it didn't matter to him, she had left on her own selfish reasons and he had never really needed her around so it worked out for him, and did in fact bring him all the more closer to his father so nodded again, this time with more surety.
"For the longest time we were; until the fight I thought he had died in… after that I resigned myself to thinking I had lost him."
She remembered that well. After Aldarn had given him the news that Julian was in fact alive, she had never seen him so shocked, or quiet. That night down by the river was one of seriousness, seeing him sitting by the bank looking so despondent that it hurt her to see him so lost, so when the inevitable decision was made to rescue him, she was all for it. Apart from the small issue of having to go underwater to break in then everything else was fine; but on seeing how overjoyed he was to have the only family he ever had back with him, she knew that there wasn't a lake anywhere she wouldn't go into if it made him smile like that again.
A sudden wind swept across the hill, she shivered as it washed over her, the skin over her arms peppering with goosebumps as he noticed and looked to the sky; without realizing it the sun had almost completely set, with the golden hue turning purple as night slowly took over. Knowing that they still hadn't found a place to stay, wondered if perhaps his old man was using his room after all as he suggested that they leave before slowly turning and making their way back through the forest.
It wasn't until they reached the outskirts of the city that Cornelia spoke; she had been lost in thought so simply let him to guide her back as she didn't think he would let her fall and so allowed her mind to wander, it wasn't until she looked up to see the citadel lit up in all its splendour that the idea came to her.
"Why not stay at the palace?"
He stopped on hearing her suggestion and turned to face her, she shrugged on seeing his enquiring gaze. "It's not as if Elyon would ever mind. Not trying to take advantage of her absence here, but it would be for the best."
Caleb stared at her, not entirely sure that she was right, but undeterred she pressed on. "Ok… look at it this way, the Annihilators came here with the intentions of destroying her home; it was by luck that Will leaned that new trick of hers we were able to get rid of them. But what if something else came along? If we stayed there we'd be protecting it."
He still looked sceptical at her claims and so knew that a tactical manoeuvre was needed; he watched as she very slowly walked to him, the coy look on her face enough to have the warning bells in his head ring alarmingly loud just as her arms slid around his neck.
He saw her lower her head slightly, looking up through her lashes and he tried very hard to avoid seeing what came next.
"Please Caleb, you are her right hand knight after all, you'd be doing your duty and solving our little housing problem,"
She was getting to him. He remained silent despite the logical points she was making. Observing his stance and knowing that his resistance was wavering, used the one trick she had that would all but guarantee him seeing things her way.
"You would also be helping protect the one thing she has of her parents." He froze. She felt his body stiffen and smiled in victory; of course she knew the castle was merely one of a large number of mementos that Elyon had and that they were all safe in damage proof trunks and cases, but the palace was undeniably the largest of them all and the one place that the young Queen had felt truly at home in.
A beat went by, followed by another before a sigh and then a nod. She fought the urge to jump in triumph as he conceded.
"Alright, you win… it does seem like the sensible thing to do, besides, it'll give me a chance to check in with the other guards—"
He never got chance to finish his sentence as the blonde had turned and was now dragging him along the opposite path as they changed directions on route to the royal palace. Halfway up the road they were stopped by the vivid flash of sky blue as they stared at the fold that had appeared in front of them.
"What the—"
Before the fold spat out its traveller, they stared as the sight of Blunk getting to his feet quickly brought them back to reality.
"Blunk,"
The passling turned on hearing his name; he spied the duo and smiled widely, "Best friend and pretty girl!" nodding their heads at the given nicknames he stared down at the passling.
"What are you doing?"
Brushing the dust of his jacket with his equally dusty fingers the little creature looked back up to the pair, "Blunk come back,"
Rolling his eyes at the unhelpful answer, the young boy looked back to him, "Not where have you been. What have you been doing?"
Blunk stared at the young boy for a few more seconds, before his wide smile returned and he lifted up his knapsack.
"Blunk find good items, been out selling, make good profit… see," before lifting up a small cage that had Cornelia skittering back at the sight of the wriggling mice and one particularly large rat. Caleb wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Urgh! If you say so,"
"Well I do say so," Blunk lifted the cage to face level, giving the squeaking rodents a desirably hungry look furthering the revulsion the blonde felt as she stared at him.
"Whatever, anyway, what were you doing on the roof before?" he glanced down as the small passling gifted him a bemused stare at his question. At this side Cornelia also looked to him with some confusion, when was Blunk on the roof… more to the point, what roof.
"Blunk on no roof."
Caleb shook his head at the blatant lie, "Right, anyway we need to go," with that he rounded the small creature as Cornelia quickly followed; they left the small passling staring still confusedly as he tried to work out what he could have meant, but in the end it was still to baffling and he had much better things to be getting on with—like eating.
Also having heard him mention going someplace, his curiosity was peaked and so turning he spied them heading upwards towards the castle as he watched in silence for a moment, before deciding to join them, quickly stuffing the cage of mice into his sack he slung it over his shoulder before racing to catch up with them.
They looked down when they saw his small figure earning another eye roll from Caleb but said nothing as he allowed the passling to join them on their trip. He was harmless and if it kept him from tormenting the citizens with his 'trading' then perhaps it was for the best.
Getting into the castle was relatively easy; Caleb had complete access due to his status and so it wasn't long before they were walking down the halls to his private quarters. The servants of the castle, the ones who still tended to the housekeep, bade him greetings as they passed. Of course they noticed the person with him and their pleasant smiles turn questioning as it wasn't every day they saw a guardian, or one on their own as the pair passed them by. Blunk had wandered off to the kitchens on entering the castle so it was just them as eventually they came to a stop outside a door.
Pausing he turned to her, "Well, here it is, home sweet home," he opened the door and stepped back to allow her inside first, entering the room she glanced around and the first thing she noticed was how Spartan it looked, aside from the universal bed situated in the corner, there wasn't much else. A small side cabinet holding a candle and a couple of books, a wardrobe on the other side holding his uniforms and other clothes and a table near the window which held a few papers, a small blade and some other sundry items. Overall it wasn't what she was used to as her room was decked far more lavishly, but she knew that he wasn't an avaricious person, with what he had on him he could make do with and his needs were very simple. It was what she liked about him and so turning she was surprised to find him waiting in the entry, a look of odd apprehension adorning his face.
She paused staring at him slightly quizzical as to why he was like that, when it dawned on her he was waiting for her response, her approval and whether she liked it or not. The revelation startled her as never before had he been the type to seek others opinions, unless it was about battle tactics everything else he couldn't give a care. So it took her back on finding him doing exactly that right now.
"So what do you think?"
Truthfully she didn't know; of course about the room she had already given her opinion, it was bare save for the essentials but again she didn't think her view really counted as it wasn't her room, she wasn't the one living there and what he did with it was wholly up to him. But seeing him waiting, she knew he wouldn't move unless she said something and so pushing down the absurdity of why he was seeking her approval at all, she smiled.
"It's… completely you,"
Frowning at her words he didn't say anything as she leaned forwards and pulled him closer, with one hand she slid it around his neck, the other a quick flick of her fingers saw the door closing behind him as she gazed into his eyes.
"It's perfect."
Still staring into her blue orbs, it dawned on him what she meant as he put the words together, his frown disappeared, replaced by a roguish grin as her other hand soon joined its partner around his neck.
"Perfect, is that really what you think?"
Her nose crinkled slightly as she pretended to think it over, "You know it is… but don't get to cocky,"
His laughter cut through the room as she stepped away from him, he watched as she moved to the window her overlooking the rest of the kingdom.
"Meridian at night time?" he moved to sit on his bed, reaching down he started to untie the laces from his boots as he turned his head back to her,
"Yep, Aldarn thinks it's nicer at night, but I'm not so sure."
Hearing this the blonde turned back to the outside; there was certainly something about the night that appealed to her, the air seemed much cleaner, granted it could be far colder it was still refreshing; a natural cleanser as many a time she had left her window open to find the cold chill sweeping in, removing all traces of whatever leftover scents that had lingered within the closed room. It also brought a sense of calmness that the day just couldn't, the moon with its graceful light— nowhere near as blinding as the suns, allowed a person to be able to look to the heavens and gaze on at the wonder that was above them. The twinkling stars, good for counting, took away the stresses of daily life, or at least allowed for a brief respite.
Yes, she could see where the other Meridorian was coming from and had to agree with his assessment.
"He has a point,"
"Oh?"
Nodding she left her space by the window and turned to find him stowing away his boots. She waited until he looked back to her, now taking off his coat. "Shall I leave?"
"Hmm?"
He turned to see her staring at his coat, now in his hands before adding. "Well you're getting undressed. Shall I wait outside until you're done?" he was quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head, pulling a face he opened his wardrobe door and placed his coat on a hanger.
"No, I'll be sleeping in these anyway so there's no need to leave."
She glanced to his sleeping attire, previously his outgoing wear as her brow quirked slightly. Did he do this all the time before looking back to his face as he now faced her completely.
"So… about the night?"
Smiling she resumed her line of conversation that had been halted, as she lifted up and undid the clip keeping the cloak together, shrugging she thought about the question a little more.
"A lot of people tend to favour the night over day; one of the reasons it that they say the air is less polluted, but I suppose they like it because of the peace it affords. The streets and roads get so busy during the day, night however, is more tranquil and I guess it's the allure of being able to clear your thoughts without anybody around to crowd your space that's enticing."
Caleb looked from his place by the wardrobe. Truthfully he had only been expecting a short answer, and with something along the lines of 'It's great for beauty sleep' and so to hear the in-depth response surprised him.
"What else?"
Looking up she saw his expression, a mixture of surprise and intrigue melded across his features and smirked at his astonishment. It was obvious he was expecting a token answer and so was happy to have stunned him as she carried on.
"During the daytime, everything is so overcrowded that it becomes noisy, for some, loud sounds can be scary or can further the pressure they might already be feeling; with the night, the only music you can hear are the ones that come from wildlife—the owls, the insects… granted depending where you live there is the occasional car but mostly it's just nature. It's calming."
Her gaze turned wistful as she recalled her own experience in the park, she wasn't going to lie and say that it wasn't daunting, after all, it might have looked beautiful but it was dark for a reason. Many used the natural cover to hide themselves away and for all she knew anyone could have been watching, but on looking back now she realized she hadn't taken heed of that small notion, it was only after did it occur to her, but she had been so caught up in talking to each of the trees that the concept of danger simply hadn't crossed her thoughts, and though she had yet to again, she knew the next time she went out to take more heed of her surroundings.
"Sounds like you've given that a lot of thought,"
She shrugged again, folding her cloak and placing it on the back of his chair. "Perhaps, I just think that both times have their good and bad sides… but do you know what else the night is good for?"
Caleb's throat suddenly became dry at the slightly sultry look she threw his way. Having moved he was now stood in the centre of his room as he watched her make her way over to him, her hips swaying in a way that had his gaze trained on the gorgeous blonde as she came to stand in front of him, her gaze seductive.
"Well, do you?"
He was stuck; eyes unable to tear themselves away from her face, he roved every inch of her memorizing features until he came to a stop at her full lips. Licking his own he very slowly shook his head.
"No… what,"
It was silent for a moment as she leaned into him, his heart had started to pound heavily in his chest as he hoped with all he had that she could see how nervous she was making him, but from the knowing smirk he had failed as she stopped just under the crook of his head, nudging his chin lightly with her nose before replying.
"Snuggling,"
Before bounding over to the bed, standing stock still the young boy wondered what the hell just hit him, as the sounds of giggle's had him turning to find her already under the covers, she gazed back at him; her expression no longer one of seduction but instead, a playful eagerness as she waited his reaction. Still staring it finally hit him what had just happened. His eyes hardened with a glint as he eyed his target, having cornered herself before pouncing. The blondes' giggles turned into shrieks of laughter as she found herself bundled in his arms, eventually he ended up on his back as she lay over him, staring impishly down at him. He rolled his eyes but with a little shifting, pulled the covers over his waist as she settled back into his side, a yawn escaped her lips.
"Also sleeping,"
He nodded absently as she curled into him tighter, "Sleeping sounds good." Before he kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.
