Story: Remember me

Plot: A battle with Phobos proves to be difficult and life threatening, as a certain guardian is affected the most. Will the rest of W.I.T.C.H and the rebels be able to bring her back?

Chapter 25: Deception

Aaron stood firmly on the balcony of his castle, with Phobos at his side. The evil prince glanced at the leader of Oceanus, to see his expressionless look. He let a smirk grow on his face, satisfied, and looked back out.

Aaron was completely under Phobos' command, and whatever the prince uttered, he would follow his orders without a word of hesitation. This was too much of a good opportunity to let go, and so he used this to his advantage.

At the moment, they had gathered as many people as possible of the kingdom, outside the castle, as Aaron prepared for an announcement.

"People of Oceanus, I have some important news to declare." Aaron began, as Phobos could feel excitement and power flowing through his body. "The guardians of Candracar have been spotted in our kingdom, and are against the people of this world. They pose as a threat to us; therefore, we must not allow them to do any of the sorts."

There was murmuring among the people, as Phobos nodded at the man. They then walked back inside the castle, leaving the people to discuss the confusing situation about the guardians.

"Aaron, gather your strongest soldiers." Phobos stipulated. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

Aaron immediately obliged, and left the prince to ponder through his thoughts and ideas. He couldn't help but hide his feelings, especially the feeling of finally tasting victory only a few steps away. His idea of persuading the people of this world that the guardians were wicked and power hungry only boosted his ego and pride further.

...

"We can't just sit back and let him escape every time we confront him!" Cassandra exclaimed.

Caleb nodded, "And we can't just wait for Phobos to decide to form an attack on Meridian once more. We can't risk losing Queen Elyon in the process."

"You know the irony to that?" everyone turned to face Irma, as she spoke. "We kind of need Elyon if we want her brother to fall."

Taranee pursed her lips together, "Have Elyon's powers changed anyhow since the crystal broke?"

Caleb nodded, "They are a lot stronger now, but we can't risk losing a heart to Phobos."

"It's too uncertain." Hay Lin commented. "How are the rebels holding up?"

"Fine...Will, what's wrong?" the rebel leader noticed that the redhead was silent the entire time. Her head shot up and she looked at all of them, before shaking her head.

"Nothing, I'm just worried about Cornelia."

Hay Lin bit her lip, "Does this mean that she's back in the group now? You know, after she gets better?"

Irma corrected her, "She never left the group, Hay Lin."

"Well, what if things don't work out?"

Cassandra interrupted, "We need all the help we can get, and if Cornelia is well enough to join back, then I'm sure she'll do the right thing."

Caleb sighed, "How many more days do you think it'll last?"

"My guess is only a few." Irma remarked. "Corny's a lot stronger than we give her credit for."

...

Cornelia had been trapped inside her body for a few days now. She had managed to remain calm and found that it helped to strengthen her power. Her senses were a lot more accurate, other than sight, which meant that she was slowly healing.

During this time, Cornelia's auromear had turned from black to grey, and its original colour was slowly starting to return – green.

The mage had also tried many remedies, which none seemed to work. Only time could heal the wounds inflicted upon the earth guardian, as she lay still in one of the chambers in Candracar.

...

Elyon sat on her throne in her castle. It had been a few days since the crystal broke and since then, she had been informed of her power boost. It had proved to be very helpful, as she was able to help the people of Meridian in a time of need. She was also aware of Cornelia's state and was very worried about her best friend.

They had not spent as much time together since she had lost her powers and something about Cornelia's behaviour made Elyon suspicious.

It made the queen of Meridian think of a few months back, before Cornelia and Caleb broke up. She remembered how Caleb had asked her if Cornelia had said anything to her which might be the cause of her acting so distant and complicated at the time. Elyon had no idea what he was talking about, but also felt as if Cornelia was hiding something. She had only pushed it aside and thought nothing of it.

She sighed deeply, her mind snapping back to reality as she was being addressed by one of her personal assistants.

"Your majesty?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Please continue?"

"Right, so the rebels are being prepared in case of any attack by Phobos." He updated her, as she nodded in understanding. Her eyes narrowed at the name of her excuse of a brother, seen more of as a tyrant. His betrayal was burned in the back of her mind, and her screams of pain would always echo her thoughts at the mention of his name. In any situation, her image in the sense of power was much greater than her mental state. Whenever the incident was bought up into a conversation, Elyon could feel herself wince and physically shudder at the thought of even going through the memories.

The Queen nodded her head politely, a sign of dismissal at her assistant, and moved back on her throne.

Elyon pondered of different ways of persuading the guardians and rebels to allow her to help lock up her evil brother and bring justice to the people that have suffered so much in his hands. They had all denied her assistance, if it had anything to do with being near her brother, much to her disappointment. She felt the need to aid her people in any time of necessitate, without hesitation – no questions asked.

Once again, her thoughts drifted back to the wellbeing of her people, as well as her friends. She silently prayed for them – most of all Cornelia. She pictured her blonde friend, the once arrogant earth guardian. It had been a while since she had shown her proud and confident side. The Queen realised that her blonde friend had also been returned her powers over earth, and now they stood a greater chance at winning the war. She suddenly felt very nervous for her – what if Cornelia didn't get better? What if the earth guardian wasn't able to handle her power? Unanswered questions sprouted in her mind as she, inevitably, continued with her royal duties.

...

"Prince Phobos, I was able to produce Oceanus' finest warriors." Aaron lowered his gaze at his commander, who nodded.

"Excellent." Phobos walked outside the hall, and observed the scene in front of him. There were hundreds of soldiers, fully armoured, lined up. They were tough and strong – all of them well built.

"What happens now, my prince? Will the guardians and rebels soon be approaching?" Aaron questioned instantly.

Phobos turned to him and then back at the army, "No, there's been a change of plan."

Aaron turned to him uncertainly, not wanting to get on his bad side, as he waited for an explanation.

"We attack when they are at their weakest."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that not much happened, but hey, my excuse is that I wrote most of this at 2am, and have some much needed sleep to catch up on. Thank you for reading!