The Royal Guardian

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. -- I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own Meg Cabot's "The Princess Diaries" series (even though this story isn't even really related to the series. Just don't want to hear law suit claims LoL). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said series.

Note: Silly me. Forgot to put the heading for the last chapter. I mean I had manually when writing in my notebook as I usually do for these chapters and other stories, but I was in a rush at the time that I'd started to type it up that I guess I forgot. And plus I was spacing out when I was editing it all last night too, so yeah. LoL Anyway, for those who might have realized that (which I doubt) and are curious to know where/when Will was when she'd written the last entry, it was around 3:15 pm or so, and she was inside of the limo again, on her way to where she is now in this entry. Okie? Yay. LoL But yeah. A bunch of you are now just as wary of Eddie as Will was/kinda is. I honestly didn't think you'd all perceive it that way while reading it. That is, take Will's side with the make him a suspect stuff. I thought of two ways you might have viewed it, and so far no one's brought it up. Cool. What else. . . That's it, I guess.

Enjoy.

This chapter was created/written in August 2007.

Chapter Twenty Six

Saturday, November 4th, 4:33 pm

Heatherfield City Hall Park

I was wondering why Eddie hadn't asked about my "Shiner" back at the Rec Center while he and I had been conversing, and it was because I still had my goggles on the entire time, I later realized after I was changing within the locker room to leave.

Oops, and oh well.

Then again, neither had Gracie, but maybe Mom had phoned ahead and told her about it? I don't know.

And another "then again" here, I also wasn't really wondering about it at all, truthfully (in regard to Eddie, I mean), since I was so concentrated upon whether or not I should list him as "friend" or "foe" at the time. For now, I've decided to keep him within the "gray area," and after a few days, if nothing happens (like mischief or something) at his hand, then I'll place him within the "friend" column. (He really doesn't honestly come off to me as the vindictive type, and not to mention that to do so against me would most definitely blow any and all chances he'd ever have with Irma, as well, so yeah.)

But, yeah. Anyway. I'm sorry. I'm babbling right now, which I can't believe is possible to do within a journal, since technically, the use of the word "babbling" is traditionally reserved for verbal communication, and -- God! I must be really nervous about my latest plan if I'm getting all "scientific" about the proper conductivity of words and phrases utilized within the English language!

You're losing it, Will.

No. No, I'm not. Well, not anymore. Well, maybe, but hopefully as soon as Matt gets back to my house and we do what I've set out to do, then --

Bleh. Rambling again. It's a good thing that no one actually reads this journal, or else they'd find it extremely hard to follow sometimes.

Okay, see, remember how I said that I needed privacy, and I didn't really know where within this town that I could achieve that any longer, since the girls have been nipping at my heels for the longest now (Which I feel beyond guilty for, avoiding them and keeping them in the dark and such. But I'm sure that after I do what I plan to do, maybe they might understand. Or, well, they would if ever I planned to tell them about it. Whatever. Ignore me.), I have S & E eternally at my side (Which is another feat that will be a bit tricky to overcome with this plan of mine, by the way, but I'm sure I can manage. . . I think.), and home is a major No-No at all times now?

Yeah, well, I also remembered that there was at least one place that I could go, that provided fresh air (since it was out in the open), yet also was secluded, deserted and thus private (and perfect) for me:

Heatherfield City Hall Park.

Why? Because ever since that giant scare that went down here about three years ago, the entire town now believes this area is haunted.

Well, the young people believe that it's haunted (and maybe a few senile individuals as well), while the political and financial investors just mainly no longer view this area as profitable (since no one in their right mind will dare to venture around here much if they can avoid it anymore -- Day or night).

What was the big panic, you ask?

It was our fault, I guess. (Me and the girls, I mean.)

Well, no, technically, it had been idiot, "Lizard-Boy" (as mainly Taranee and Cornelia would refer to him as on occasion) Lord Cedric's fault mostly, since at the time he was busy trying to steal birth certificate documents of girls who might have been born around the time that Elyon had been (so that he could then bring them back to Metamoor to show to stupid Prince Phobos, who could in turn succeed in finding his long lost sister to then later usurp her God given powers, I guess you could say, and then eradicate her thereafter, blah blah. I only say "blah blah" at the risk of sounding callous, because we Guardians obviously had succeeded in foiling those plans ages ago -- As if there ever was a doubt. . . Well, maybe some doubt. But still. We won, and they suck).

And on the day (well night, by that point) of my birthday, no less. It figures.

Anyways, but after our colossal (and also apparently rather loud, since the authorities had showed up later on) battle with Cedric, as well as his having been spotted within his "monster-form" by Uriah and his crew (who'd all taken a while to go back to their normal, jerky selves after having seen him, I might add. But can't say that I blame them. Lord Cedric was always a bit intimidating to look upon at times), I guess the damage to the once prosperous City Hall building and surrounding park had been done.

The rumors began to spread, and one thing led to another, and now here I am, the only one "brave enough" to park myself. . . well, within the park.

I feel kind of bad, though, that because of our Guardian duties and "code of honor" or whatever to always look after and protect the world from devastation and all that (Now, why does that phrase sound familiar to me? Oh, yeah! That one anime I used to watch when I was younger always had the two bad guys say that as part of their "I'm gonna kick your ass!" speech. It's annoying to me now, but back then that show was pretty neat for me to watch.), this area's basically condemned now because of those false paranormal activity rumors.

But it isn't as though any of we Guardians can come forward and say, "Hey! It isn't haunted! It was just the five of us, who are really 'magical girls,' by the way, defending this town from an evil soul who could transform into a beastly, serpent-like creature the likes of which you've never seen!"

That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

So, I guess, for now, or until the town decides to get over their fears and put this abandoned area to good use once again, abandoned it shall remain (and be my personal safe haven in the meanwhile. That is, unless one or all of the girls have a bad day and want seclusion for themselves, and get the same idea I do and come here while I am, just my luck. But none of us have honestly bothered to come to this park since that time -- And, after we'd visited maybe once or twice later on to make sure that there weren't any extra portals that might have miraculously re-opened on their own and we'd obviously missed. Plus. the new park, Heatherfield Park -- Yes, the same one the girls had wanted me to hang out within with them yesterday after school, but I obviously couldn't because of my dear old Uncle Eli's interference -- is honestly closer to where all of us live).

So I think I'm all right.

At least, right now I seem to be, since I honestly haven't seen or heard anyone pass through here or anything.

Well, except for Matt, obviously, but that was because he said he'd recognized the limo as it passed by his car while he was on his way home from a friend's house. I guess I had been so busy writing within my journal that I didn't even get to notice or see that, otherwise I probably would have told the driver to stop or something. (It's amazing that Matt could recognize the limo, since to me, at least, all limousines look the same. Except, of course, when they're different colors, like the white ones and stuff. Thank God mine isn't white. I think that would draw more attention than the black one already might. But I guess it's just mainly because Matt's very much into automobiles of all kinds, that he was able to recognize it, I don't know -- That, and probably because before mine, not that many limos were strolling through town lately. Wonderful. Anyway, maybe Matt should ride in it instead of me from now on then, because I have to for forever now, it seems, and I still don't really know what it looks like inside and out, since most of the time I'm either blocking it out -- Riding within it, I mean -- or am busy writing within this journal while I am like I'd said.)

But yeah, so that's how Matt ended up being here at the park with me, after obviously tailing me.

While I wasn't super adverse to seeing him, I still really did wish to be alone, you know? Well, as alone as I could be with the driver, Sprita and Ernest still hanging about. But given the choice (That is, if being completely solo wasn't an option), I'd much rather have Matt with me than those three any day.

Plus, S & E seem to "trust" him by now, so it didn't seem to be that big a deal that he'd followed us and came to "visit with me" as he'd put it, when he'd caught Ernest's kind of stern glance at him after having taken off his sunglasses for a few seconds to clean them. (If I had been Matt, I would have done an about-face and ran back to my car if Ernest had looked at me like that, what with those creeptacular icy blue eyes of his. But Matt only grinned lopsidedly at him. Either he had sensed, before I had even told him, that something was bugging me again, or he just isn't afraid of Ernest as the reason he hadn't left, I don't know.)

So, right. After we'd forced small talk before then managing to get S & E to give us some more space and privacy, I spilled the beans to Matt about what had happened back at the Rec Center.

Needless to say, he wasn't at all impressed, or surprised, which wasn't what I wished to hear, because I knew that he'd just lecture me yet again to help continue fulfilling his role as my "older brother."

And that's exactly what he did.

"God! What did I tell you, Will? Didn't I say that eventually more and more people would start to 'sniff around' you, and no longer buy into your 'Oh, this is my extended family!' routine story for 'Boris and Natasha' over there? The people of Heatherfield are not as doltish as you might obviously perceive them to be, hon," Matt scolded within a calm voice, but nonetheless carried a light frown upon his face while the two of us continued to walk slowly, side by side and further into the empty park.

I exhaled heavily at this.

"Cripes, Matt! I never said or thought that Heatherfield is a town full of idiot people! If anything, it's a town full of obsessed busybodies in contrast," I vainly tried to joke, folding my arms across my chest after catching Matt's "I am not amused" glare. "And anyway, who says that everyone has to know everything, anyhow? It's none of their business."

"Maybe not yet, but it's going to be the entire world's business sooner or later, Will, like I've told you already. Haven't you realized yet that secrets and lies don't help nor solve anything? I would like to think that you of all people would have gotten that memo by now," the tall brunette chastised tiredly, lightly scratching the stubbles of his goatee that he usually had upon his otherwise smooth face.

"Yeah, okay! I get it! Thanks for only making me feel worse, 'Dr. Phil!'" I exclaimed, throwing my arms into the air and quickening my pace to walk ahead of my friend. "But you have no idea what it's like to be me right now! Having to assume three identities at once! Will Vandom, the semi-normal teenager who will probably fail out of high school due to all of the emotional stress she's now buried and suffocating under, so it's a good thing that she's decided to take a year off after graduation before beginning college! Will Vandom, the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar and leader of the Guardians of the Veil, also known as 'W.I.T.C.H.' And now, stupid Wilhelmina Vandom -- No, excuse me, DeMontaimont, Princess of Marsily, a stupid freaking country she's never even heard of before now, and is expected to rule over it!"

I could hear Matt suddenly stop walking behind me after my rambling and slight outburst.

". . .Feel better now?" he asked gently, a detectable smile sounding within his voice as he spoke.

I stopped walking too and slowly nodded without turning around to face him.

"Honestly? Yeah, a little bit," I answered meekly, blushing a bit. "But saying it and letting it all out still won't change anything."

"No, maybe not, but at least it's a start," Matt replied, moving to my side once more, before beginning to gently rub my back. "That's why you were probably better off telling Eddie the whole truth. Who knows? Maybe he knows already, but wanted you to tell him. I mean, he, himself, is pretty well known throughout the world, just about, and so obviously has that whole 'great connections' thing going on. Maybe someone had tipped him off. Plus, I'm also pretty sure that his family has done business once or twice with Marsily in terms of import and exports. So --"

"-- God! I didn't even think of that! B-but, I mean. . . What would be his agenda for not outing me right then if he really does know? I honestly don't really think he's trying to play mind games with me. . ." I said weakly, trying to reassure myself, as well as sooth the growing nausea I was beginning to feel churning within my stomach.

Matt shrugged lightly while continuing to caress my back, a bit harder now. (I guess to assist in my trying to calm myself down faster).

"And I honestly don't think he is, either. Like I said, maybe he does know. But maybe he doesn't. Either way, he's clearly going to respect you and not say a word until after its known to the masses, regardless. I hang out with him on and off, especially at the gym, and he strikes me as a face value kind of person. That is, how we've all perceived him, as the wealthy, but surprisingly an 'everyday' type of person is pretty much how he really is," he revealed, patting my back twice for good measure before dropping his arm back to his side. "Plus, it'd be pretty foul for him to put you within a position of public scrutiny, when he himself is no stranger to it, you know? So I think that you're safe."

Taking a few deep, "cleansing breaths," managing to relax myself in the process, I resumed my walking with Matt following suit.

". . .True. I guess. . . Truthfully, though, I'm not really worried so much about Eddie. Mainly because he's not my best friend. . ." I trailed off, semi-hinting to Matt what I was getting at, which he clearly was all too aware of what I was.

"No, that he is not, your highness," he said with a small smile, which earned him a slap to his arm courtesy of yours truly. "Okay, okay. I'll lay off the royal addressing. But, seriously, if even your psyche is finally catching up to the fact that you have to tell Taranee and the others everything once and for all -- and fast -- then you know that it's been far too long in the making."

"Ugh. . . I know. I do! I've always known," I admitted with a groan, burying my face within my hands a moment. "But can you imagine how it's going to be? I can just see it now: Taranee will be supportive, most likely, and then also offer as many cons as she can think of, as well as a side plate of extra paranoia that I don't need, to what being a princess will now mean for me. Irma and Hay Lin, however, will both probably think it's 'really cool' and joke about wanting my autograph now or whatever, and think of mostly all of the pros in combat against 'Ranee's cons, of how I'll get free stuff all the time or something like that. And then, Cornelia. . . Eh, I don't really want to go there."

"Yeah, good point," I could hear Matt smirk in consensus, before he continued. "But, really, though, if you already know so well of how it will most likely go down, then why not just take the plunge and do it? If anything, you of all people would know your best friends and 'Earth and Universe-protecting comrades' better than anyone else currently within existence -- And that's including their families, even."

Another good point. Still. . .

"Yeah, I guess," I responded with another sigh, turning my head to look at my sole male best friend. "But, I just mainly wish there was a way that I could tell them and let them know, without actually having to do it, myself, you know?"

"I suppose, yeah, but then again, that's how everyone feels whenever they have to tell something they usually only believe is difficult but isn't really, to someone they care for," Matt said with a small nod, before wrapping his arms around me to give me one of his patented Bear Hugs I adore so, and then gave me a small, brief yet still tender kiss atop my head. "And it isn't as though you have anyone else who could possibly understand what it's like to be in your shoes at the moment, which is all the more reason why it's just better that you confess to the people whom you can rely upon. It will be all right, okay? Just tell them as soon as you can, before they find out from someone else, or things get out of hand. That, and because I'm not lying for you anymore. Besides sucking terribly at it, you have no idea the torture those friends of yours had subjected me to yesterday after you and Sprita had ditched me and fed me to the wolves."

And that's when it had hit me.

My plan, I mean.

While I was giggling at imagining the millions of questions I'm sure the girls had fired poor, defenseless and ill-prepared Matt's way (and what horrible excuses I'm sure he'd obviously managed to come up with to deflect said questions for my sake), I let out a sharp gasp as I gazed up at him with widened eyes. (Which I'm sure scared the crap out of him to witness.)

"W-what? You okay?" Matt asked with a bit unsureness, slowly releasing me from his embrace.

I just grinned at him happily, feeling extremely ecstatic and "smart" for the new idea that was brewing within my mind at that moment.

"I'm better than okay! Because you, my dear, dear 'partner in crime,' have given me an idea on what move to make next!" I exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down like a little child.

Matt stared at me like I had four heads just then, and scratched the top of his brown colored head in confusion.

". . .I don't follow. All I said was to tell the girls the truth as soon as possible -- Like, preferably today would be nice. I thought that was the 'plan,'" he said with a perplexed air, searching my face for answers. "And hey, when, where and how did you get that ol' Shiner on your face?"

Wow. Like, twenty minutes into our "visit" and conversation, and it was only now that Matthew had noticed my slightly dissipating but still pretty visible bruise upon my cheek.

And I thought that I was sometimes slow on the uptake.

Oh, well.

I merely waved my hand in dismissal at this and continued to smile like mad at the older individual before me.

"Never mind that! Just listen! You said that there isn't anyone I know of currently who could possibly and completely understand what I'm going through right now -- At least, no one who could or would, and I'd care to confide within about this, anyway, as both my mother and lousy uncle are definitely out of the question," I began as slowly as I could so that Matt could keep up, while trying to control my giddiness.

". . .Eeeyeah. . . So?" he asked, just as slowly, clearly not yet catching on. That is, until -- "Wait, a minute! You don't mean --"

"-- Uh huh! I do! And you're coming with me, since I know you'd just ask to later on, anyway!" I interrupted, clasping my hands together in satisfaction that I'd finished my thought.

Now it was Matt's turn to cradle his face with his hands upon hearing this.

Regardless, though, I knew that deep down, he was now a bit intrigued and just as excited about it as I was.

Sure enough, as he released his face from his hands' obscuring placement, he looked at me with a tiny, but growing smirk upon his face, before looking over my head to gaze upon Sprita and Ernest, who were still lurking several yards away.

". . .All right, fine. I'll come. But you do know it will be a waste of time, otherwise -- I mean, for the reasons that you wish to go and do this at all. Plus, how do you expect to get out from under your 'Royal Posse's' watchful eye?"

"Leave that to me," was I'd said to Matt as a reply, before shooing him towards his car and telling him to meet me back at my loft in about half an hour.

So now, here I am, hanging out a bit while longer within the park and sitting on one of the benches, finishing up this entry and honestly trying to figure out how I will shake off S & E as I'd mentioned towards the beginning of said entry.

I mean, I imagine that if I just tell them that I'm going to stay in for the rest of the day and just do homework and relax later and stuff, then I don't, for the life of me, know why they'd be required to stay with me at the loft. Maybe guard the outside of it or something, but not the inside.

And anyway, if they do decide guard the outside of the building, that'd be just fine, because what I planned to do in just a little while after Matt meets me there, I won't need to re-exit the outdoors in the process.

Still. I just mainly hope that all goes well with this. I don't really see how it couldn't, with the few exceptions of what to do if Mom decides to check in on me later on or whatever, and then the whole bodyguards thing I'd just gone over.

But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. . . in about fifteen minutes or so.

-- End of Chapter Twenty Six

(A.N. Yay. Knocked another one out in one day. Then again, it's because I had it in my head for ages now. Now I have to endure sitting down to write out twenty-seven, which will be far longer than this or twenty-five had been. But there's no other way around that, though, if I want it all to make sense to you readers. So yeah. Bear with me if there might be a bit of update delay for it. It'll be fun, don't worry. LoL)