Into the Devil's Lair: Chapter 4
Hello again! Thank you all for submitting reviews of the story.
To Gravesheart- thank you for your kindly review! I'm glad you like my story though its not really as wonderful as I imagined it to be (to many plots and twists etc, and I don't know how to put it all in words). Yes, that's what I've noticed, aside from Cornelia, I think there's no other guardian linked with Cedric (OC, Orube, Elyon& Miranda, its rare to see him paired with the others, Will &etc) but I do plan to make this a love triangle (CedricxCorneliaxPhobos). I just hope my writing won't be a mess.
To Guest (Jan.16)- Thank you so much for leaving a review! And thanks for the suggestion but I plan to make the story more interesting and add a lot of twists. There are a lot of things I want to add to make it more enjoyable but as I mentioned in my reply to Gravesheart, I still don't know how to put everything in words. Don't worry the twists are very interesting and will surprise you.
Again, thanks everyone for writing your reviews. I appreciate it a lot, anyway, this is the Chapter 4 of Into the Devil's Lair, I hope it won't disappoint you. My writing's has become really crappy nowadays and the chapter is a bit shorter than usual (please forgive me). Would like it if you'll leave reviews afterwards! Let me know what you think! Enjoy! ;)
For how long do I need to suffer this madness? I only stayed here for a few days but it already feels like forever. I miss my normal day to day habits; my friends, my parents, Lillian, the mall…
Cornelia thought as she paced up along the dark corridors of the gothic style castle. As usual it was another gloomy day and it seems like another storm was coming so she can't go out of the castle to check on her future kingdom.
Her etiquette lessons were finished a few hours earlier and she was left without anything to do. Elyon on the other hand was busy with Meridian history. Phobos somehow gave them different advisers and the time of their classes were different from each other so she can't sometimes meet with her friend.
She can still remember Elyon's reaction when Phobos declared that she was his fiancée. Elyon was ecstatic and was very happy that her best friend fell in love with her brother. The young princess told her that she made her dream of having her as a sister come true. She clearly had no idea what's happening. If she only knew the truth. She shook her head.
She glided through some more empty halls until she found herself staring at the black doors of Phobos' gallery. This is where he keeps all his portraits and his artists' paintings. She smiled as she recalled their accidentally entrapment in Elias' painting. She pushed the door open and her jaw dropped as she saw hundreds of paintings in front of her. Some were sceneries in Meridian, some were monsters, and some the faces of the prince, there were also paintings of Elyon's faces which she knew was just recently added.
But the thing that caught her attention was the big portrait hanged on the leftmost part of the room. It was a picture of a family, a happy family. She stared at it for a minute and she realized that it was the painting of the former royal family; Queen Weira and Consort Zanden, on the Queen's lap was a cute boy of five. Her lips curled as she recognized it as Phobos, who would have thought that the cute chubby boy will turn into a demon?
The picture though speaks thousands of words, the family looked genuinely happy and she can feel Weira's love for Phobos even if she haven't met the woman. Phobos on the other hand seemed not to change; there was still the proud and arrogant look on his face and his cold emerald eyes. She traced the contours of his baby face on the painting. What made him turn to the dark side? This boy on the painting was totally different from the devil inside the castle. This boy was innocent and even with his haughty look she knew that the boy still wasn't a monster.
Her gaze then again returned to the parents of the Prince; Phobos was a copy of his father except for his eyes which were from his mother. She finds it weird that the Queen and the Prince had the same set of eye color yet the only difference is Weira's eyes were full of kindness while Phobos' were cold and calculating.
Elyon too, had her father's long straw hair and blue eyes but then Cornelia can't find any similarities of the girl to the Queen, which was weird. But maybe she just wasn't just good at mixing faces. Elyon was an Escanor and her powers prove it all. She stayed there and scrutinized the other paintings until she finally retired to her chambers.
"Are we really sure that Corny's safe in Phobos' lair?" Irma's usual loud voice was turned into a whisper. They were currently in the school library doing some research. Everything went back to normal except that Cornelia wasn't there with them. It has been several days since the girl last made contact and her friends were worried about her. What if Phobos killed her? What if Phobos found out about their secret deal? Will's mind were full of questions that she can't concentrate with the history book she was reading.
"I'm pretty sure Cornelia's okay. She's a tough girl, we know it. We must trust her." Taranee whispered back but her eyes were fixed on the big hard bound book she was reading. Typical Taranee.
"I'm worried about her. Cornelia may be tough but compared to Phobos she is totally powerless." Hay Lin's voice was no more than a squeak and Will can distinguished worry on it. Their eyes were just fixed at the astral Cornelia they're with. She was no more than an empty shell with feelings and emotions, her face, her attitude was same as Cornelia but they are totally different from each other. It wasn't Cornelia but only a ghost of her a poor copy.
"I know but we must keep our faith in her. I will ask Caleb to spy on the castle." She quietly said and again they got embossed in the materials in front of her. Cornelia, will find a way to save you.
Phobos stared at the scrolls of parchment in front of him. It was another busy day again and as much as he wants to rest, he can't. He needed to study Lord Cedric's reports and his eyes are already hurt reading hundreds of words. When was the last time that he finally took some rest? Even if he wanted too, he can't. There's no one left that can do his responsibility.
He sat on the throne at a very young age and was forced to do the job of the adult. He had no time for himself; he had no time to enjoy. All his life, he sat on the high chair and fixed the problems of the land, talked to dozens of noblemen and yet a naïve girl will only hinder on his way on becoming a King.
And now, he was caught with some disease, which cause he doesn't even know. His life was sad. He had no one to cling to, no one to share his problems with. He was forced to deal with it on his own. It changed him, gone was the boy who dreamed about his kingdom's future, he was replaced by a man, an evil sorceress who wants nothing but power and glory.
"What do you think about lovely fiancée, Cedric?" He finally turned to the young man with him. The Lord was seated on one of the recliners near the window; he was reading some sort of book. Cedric looked up to him and paused for a short while before answering.
"She'll make a fine Queen my prince. She knows how to handle herself well and she's wise. Wise for her own good." The lord said and smirked. Yes, he was right. The girl was totally wise for her own good and he finally decided to keep her. She'll make a great Queen and her potentials are interesting.
"What did her tutors say about her?" He asked his henchman again.
"She does well in her classes, highness. She stands out on etiquette and fairly on the history. Her tutors commend her." Lord Cedric replied and the Prince couldn't help but smile.
"And what of Elyon?" He asked.
"The tutors also commend her although she is having a hard time to cope with her etiquette lessons unlike the guardian." Cedric replied and he just mouthed an "hmm" and continued reading the damned reports.
The door then flung open and it revealed a young girl with long blonde hair freely reaching her waist. She was wearing a pale blue dress and her face was crumpled. Phobos smiled as he saw his future bride unceremoniously entered his study.
"I want to go to Earth." The girl exclaimed and stopped in front of his table. He just crossed his arms on his chest and looked at the half-panting girl.
"And what if I forbid it?" He asked seriously and he watched as her face then became distorted, as if she didn't like what she was hearing.
"As I can recall, our deal was for me to become your wife and not you're captive." Cornelia's eyes narrowed as she speaks. Well, he can just arrange for Cedric to accompany her but an idea struck his mind. It's not every day he can just have a break and it's a good opportunity to know the girl better and capture her heart. He'll need to play the part of a nice and gentlemanly prince.
"Fine. Change your clothes and wait for me in the courtyard." He said as he stood up from his chair. The girl smirked before running out of the room. Phobos turned to Cedric.
"My prince?" The lord asked, confused by his actions. Phobos glided to the door.
"I shall accompany my little bride to Earth; I leave you the responsibility of securing the castle and my sister." He didn't wait for Cedric to reply and he turned to the direction of his chambers. He'll need to look great today besides he'll need to win a Guardian's heart.
What do you think?