This is an edited version of The Nymph and the Prince, the sequel to Heart of Stone, Heart of Flesh. Full version on A03 under the same name and pen name.

Since Sp1c3M0nst3r made another kickass cover I had to post it here to show of her amazing work to the fandom!

The Nymph and the Prince

Chapter One

Will pouted as she sat on the worn wooden pew. She had Phobos' exterior robe, a frock he called it, wrapped around her, more out of enjoying his comforting scent than to protect herself from the chill of the old dilapidated temple.

How dare he use common sense and reason to get her to stay safety hidden away mere hours after fleeing Kandrakar and her whole life. How dare he be just as stubborn as her and they argued for near a half hour about it, him pointing out that if she ran into trouble, her lack of control over her magic would be like setting off a bomb to Elyon's senses.

Phobos seemed sure time was short, thinking the Oracle would erect veils between the realms as soon as possible. While his Seal could still tear through them, those ruptures would be traceable, like with the original veil between Earth and Metamoor. Also, Phobos, sure he could shield any scrying or tracking attempts by Elyon with his new magic boost, still wanted to use magic as little as possible before finding an entrance to the Infinite City. Will hoped he was right that the magic there would be enough to hide them.

Yet splitting up during their first night on the run seemed like a dumb start. Letting him leave her sight just seemed wrong.

"You're not letting me leave," Phobos had said, rolling his eyes. "Just like I'm not making you stay. When have I ever been able to make you, the most stubborn being in existence, do anything? It is simply what we must do."

"Me?" she said, pointing back at herself. "Buddy, you have me beat in the stubborn department. Stubborn is arguing to go off on Metamoor alone while the Light of Meridian, his own sister, is hunting him down!" she waved a hand to the side, gesturing to the outside of the temple.

"That is a minor detail."

"Then what is a major detail then?" she challenged.

His expression lost some humor. "You being caught."

Will closed her mouth, balling her fist at her side.

"I won't be long," he said, folding his arms.

"How is it possible," she started, voice low. "To apparently be one of the strongest magical… things out there, but I can't even control it?"

"It will come, with time," Phobos answered. "You can not expect complete mastery over night."

They stood in silence for a moment before Will finally agreed to wait. He promised he would be back before dawn, which was apparently still hours away.

Will, alone with her thoughts, as she could no longer talk with her cell phone, could only play out the events that led to their current situation. Would it really have changed anything if she had been honest from the start about her feelings towards Phobos, at least telling one of her friends? If she didn't string Matt along? Ignored Xin Jing? Tried trusting someone like Yan-Lin or Mira-Lin? Or actually upheld her duty to the entire universe over her own desire?

What if she had gone to the Oracle at the start? So he could have seen no magic, no spell or curse, was involved?

She knew why.

The answer was always at her forethought.

She didn't want the Heart of Kandrakar stripped away from her.

Will loved her life as a Guardian of Infinity. Magic was magic. Who would want that stripped from them? But, above that, she loved helping people. Fighting was her calling. She was good at that. Nothing at school ever made sense like leading a team of magic fueled fairies did.

And she messed it all up.

Xin Jing must have chosen wrong, because here was Will, running from the same forces that existed to honor the original Nymph's virtues.

Was she really in the right here?

Pacing the temple wasn't doing anything to calm her nerves. She explored what she could. It mainly comprised one large room filled with broken, moldy pews. There was a raised platform at the end, but she couldn't see anything that would be considered a religious artifact or symbol. All the windows were smashed, edges glowing with jagged bits of stain glass. Every step echoed as she paced, reminding her of the surrounding emptiness.

There was a door along a wall at the back corner, blocked by a fallen pillar. At eye level, in the dim light, Will saw black scorch marks along the old wood. Looking over the pews, she saw more traces of a long forgotten fire. Plants had taken over the shell of the temple, making any more damage impossible to see without light. And Will had turned off her phone, not sure the next time she could charge it, so she left the damaged door alone.

A few hours, maybe three or four, Will heard the beating of hooves approaching outside. Weighing her options, she dropped low, moving between a row of pews. There, she waited for the sound to pass, only it stopped near the entrance.

Feeling calm, Will still waited. She knew how to handle herself in a fight, if it came to that. But, realistically, the average Meridian wouldn't find her, (ex)leader of the Guardians, to be a threat. What were the chances Elyon could have alerted the entire kingdom to what happened? Actually, would they announce her as missing, a runaway traitor, or… kidnapped? Would they announce anything at all?

The door creaked open and Will peeked up.

A figured entered, wearing clothes common to Metamoor, that also mimicked Earth's middle-age attire. The man wore a long sleeve black coat that fell around his waist. There were thick leather buckles running up the center, holding the coat closed. His black trousers were well fitted and tucked into brown leather riding boots. His face was covered from the hood of his dark brown cape, one side of it thrown back showing the leather wrapped hilt of a sword.

"While hiding was the correct thing to do, the blinding white garment makes it moot," Phobos said, turning his hooded face to her.

"Why do you have a sword?" she asked, standing in her spot. "No, different question; who did you rob?" The disapproval in her voice was clear.

Phobos dropped his hood and it surprised Will to see his goatee gone and something more shocking, too.

"You cut your hair?" Will gasped, hurrying over and reaching up to pull at the shorter locks falling around his face, now possibly middle back and not floor length. Her fingers ran through the still silky soft strands, nails scraping his scalp.

As pale as Phobos was, it was impossible to miss his skin reddening, even in the low moonlight, as he shied away from her curious, moving fingers.

"In order of your inquiries; the sword is so we do not appear as easy marks for roaming thieves; I did indeed steal everything you see here; and my hair was a sign of royalty and magic aptitude. There was no other choice.

"But," he said, seeing her face. "I took from one who would not notice these items gone. Everything is… last season," he scoffed, looking very upset.

…What?

"Who cares about it being… last season? You stole it!" she said, in awe of his vanity.

"The Lord I took these from was very pleased when I ruled Meridian, as I had little care for how he ruled his territory. That was until even I grew disturbed at the amount of people that seem to just vanish from their homes near his keep. It was one of those tasks I had Raythor handle, who assured me he fixed the problem."

"Fixed how?" she asked, not expecting Phobos to talk openly about his past like this.

"I never bothered asking as I just saw no point in that amount of wasted lives. Yet, it might have had something to do with a missing finger or two."

"Well," she said, reminded even Raythor had a very bloodied past. "Even if he won't notice the missing clothes, that," she added, pointing outside, "Is hard to miss!"

The horse pawed at the dirt, chestnut fur illuminated by the light of the night, waiting for its rider to return.

"Actually, does it count as stealing if I traded with gold?" Phobos asked, voice teasing.

"Where did the gold come from?"

"Mines, obliviously."

"After the mines but before the horse."

"Stolen from Lord Seven Fingers."

Will was torn between laughing and crying, so she did both as she started laughing, tears in her eyes. Phobos reached out and pulled her to him as he chuckled.

"Not everything needs to be so dire," he said. "I will not risk my good standing in your eyes over horses and last season doublets. Every move I make is with caution," Phobos assured. "We must take these simple things now to stay safe."

Will sighed as she calmed down. "I'm not saying I'm down for stealing. But I'm also not down for getting my mind wiped," she ended, maybe too grimly, as Phobos stiffened against her.

"No, not your whole mind, just your love of me," Phobos said as he pulled away, looking into her brown eyes.

Will felt tears prick at her eyes for a new reason. "I won't let that happen. I'll fight it," she promised, seeing the storm in his blue eyes. "I will always fight it."

Phobos grabbed her head and pulled her into a hard kiss, turning her and walking her back until she hit the wall by the side of the front door. His hands felt desperate as he gripped her, pulling her flush against him, other hand grabbing at her clothes.

"I told you before," he whispered as he broke from her lips and peppered hot, opened mouth kisses on her jaw to her ear. "I am intent on having you and you having," he trailed off, both hands on her hips. He moaned as his hips rocked against her. "All of me."

He could take her right there, she realized, in the empty shell of a temple on the dirty ground, because that was what she wanted to do to him.

Luckily, he still held some sense in him and pulled away; cold air now biting on her flush skin. Phobos left the building as Will regained her composure. He came back with a worn-looking travel bag. Phobos said he took only what he was sure wouldn't be missed, so the different conditions of some items didn't surprise her.

"Get changed. Your Earth attire gives you away in seconds," he said as he looked her over, eyes tracing her form.

Will nodded, not trusting her voice, and took the bag. Phobos quickly left, closing the doors behind him to wait outside.

A new realization settled over Will.

It was just Phobos and her.

Alone.

Will's heart was already pounding in her chest, but the new thought made it leap to her throat as, for once, she didn't feel any shame at her desire.

No more secrets. No more lies.

Just them, together.

Finally, together.

Getting her head out of the gutter, Will dressed the best she could in the old fashion clothes. She pulled on a white linen long sleeve shirt that required her to roll up the cuffs to fit. There were some type of baggy leggings and some ill-fitting boots that ran large. The tunic she pulled over didn't fit any better and left her looking lumpy. There was a cape similar to Phobos' and a small dagger on a belt.

She stuffed all her Earth clothes and the white robe into the bag, sure not to leave anything behind, and went outside.

Phobos snorted when he saw her.

Seeing how she just called him out on him caring about his clothes being last season, Will knew she couldn't complain about her lumpy ones, and just blew a lock of hair from her face.

"Let's just bounce out of here," she said with a glare at his smirk.

"Very well, my dear."