Into the Devil's Lair: Chapter 2
Some few weeks later…
"Where is Elyon!?" The Earth guardian unceremoniously entered the Prince's favorite room- the throne room and immediately questioned him about her best friend.
Phobos smirked as he saw the blonde girl walking towards the throne, so the seer was right, the girl would really come to him after he successfully took his sister. For some reasons, he felt happy that this blonde was the one in the seer's vision, he the heartless regent of Meridian took a liking to this girl the first time he ever saw her. She was like a rose- delicate but thorny, fragile but dangerous.
Given that she was blessed with the powers of Earth, the strongest element of all; she can conjure earthquakes, break the earth apart and swallow and army, grew poisonous vines that can kill you in an instant- he was then sure that their offspring would be as powerful.
He stood up from his throne and playfully smiled.
"Well hello guardian, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He asked mockingly and the girl just scowled. She stopped a few meters away from the throne and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. Those icy blue eyes, he somehow remembered seeing them in the past.
"I already said it, where is Elyon? What did you do to my best friend?" She angrily asked and wrapped her arms around her chest. Such courage and attitude. The prince thought.
"She is safe and sleeping at her quarters." He answered and just studied the girl's expression. He knew that this girl wasn't naïve. Cedric, after fighting with the guardians would often report to him the events afterwards, aside from that he also asks Cedric's assessment of the five- who is the strongest, who is the weakest, who is the wisest, the bravest, etc.
Cedric's comment about the Earth guardian didn't escape him. From what he had learned- the girl was haughty and stubborn. Her personality differs that of Elyon and he wondered why did the two girls grew close to each other given that they were best friends since they were young.
And from what he had observed few weeks ago, this girl was very determined with her goal to save Elyon. She already made unsuccessful attempts to save his sister from him but unfortunately (for them) and fortunately for him, his sister already closed her mind and wouldn't listen to her friends especially the Earth guardian.
"Hah! Safe! You can lie to Elyon, Phobos but you can't trick me. I already know all your ways- tyrant!" She snapped. Her words made him chuckle. She was like a tiger ready to pounce on her prey. He felt proud but somehow disappointed that this girl only stormed into his castle in some stolen clothing to hide her identity. He would love it if she took the Heart of Kandrakar with her- that way he would be hitting three birds with one stone- Elyon, the Heart and a bride.
"Tell me what you will do if you meet my sister guardian. Would you just grab her hand and ran away?" He evilly mocked. The girl who realized her mistake didn't even flinch at his words.
"Bravo. So now you noticed. Then why not attack me? Or you're just afraid to hurt another stupid girl, Phobos;" The girl pouted her lips and teased. He chuckled. So, this girl loves playing games. Then he will play with her until she realizes that it's dangerous to play with fire.
"It seems to me that Elyon is not the only reason you came here." He started. If she wants to play so be it. She would probably regret afterwards but now, he wants to toy with her. He wants to know how long she can keep up with him.
"Oh, so you're speculating that I'm here for something else? What would that be? To see you?" The girl shook her head while grinning. "Sorry but I already have a lot of boys in waiting Phobos, I don't have time for you. Besides you're not handsome enough."
"Really?" He asked and started to descend from the golden throne and the girl didn't even bother to run but Phobos can feel her fear. The guardian took a step back and Phobos' smile widen.
"Enough of your games monster! I want to see my best friend!" He chuckled when she finally cracked, well. It didn't take him long but he wants to play more and enjoy his toy. So he circled here for a moment and gained a curious eye from his uninvited guest. He finally stood behind her back.
"I can smell your fear guardian." He whispered behind her ear and the girl shuddered.
"I-I'm n-not afraid of y-you." She stuttered but he can hear the loud pumping of her heart and it made him feel excited. He seems to enjoy this little chat with the guardian. "I-I'm here to s-save E-elyon from your darkness."
"Hmmm. Do you really want to save your best friend?" He asked again not moving from his current location. His face where a few centimeters away from the girl's ear and from there he had a full view of her pale neck.
"Y-yes…" Cornelia spoke breathlessly. Satisfied with her answer, he straightened up himself and moved in front of her. Earlier she sounding breathless but now, her eyes were narrowing at him and somehow in an attack position. But he was not in the mood for violence, besides, the girl is the key to his problem.
"I would like to offer you a deal…."
'What am I thinking?' Cornelia thought once she got back home from her trip to Meridian. The turn of events was not quite what she expected. Yes, she carelessly and secretly went to the palace in the hopes of finding her sister but when she wasn't able to find Elyon and got lost in the corridors, she found herself staring at the golden doors of the throne room, which that time wasn't guarded.
So instead of getting herself caught, she decided to enter the devil's favorite place. She found him there-alone and she felt relieved that the snake-man wasn't there. And for the first time Cornelia was able to talk to the current ruler of Meridian without violence. He didn't try to lift a finger and she didn't find his usual angry tone or his dangerous smiles instead she found herself talking to a normal but treacherous person.
Her mind then went back to their discussion earlier.
"I would like to offer you a deal in exchange for my sister's safety…" the prince began and Cornelia trembled at his words. A deal? What kind of deal was this man talking about? She remembered a T.V show she watched in the past, it was about Rumplestilskin arranging deals with other people. In the end, it was always the crocodile that benefits from the deals he made.
But then, that was a t.v. show and a work of fantasy… Her life for several days had also turned into one. After Yan Lin's supposed fairy tale, her life began to change dramatically. She became an Earth guardian tasked to protect the veil. Not only that, she lost her best friend to her evil brother- who by the way was the reason why the veil was raised. And now she is in front of the evil tyrant and she didn't even bother to bring a weapon to protect her.
She instead crossed her arms around her chest and just looked at the evil prince suspiciously. He was acting weird and she finds it unusual that there wasn't hostility between them. They were like friends who were separated and just met each other after a long time.
"Tell me about it..." She shrugged. She was interested with what he was about to say. She was ready to trade anything for her best friend's safety but of course if he asks for the Heart of Kandrakar, she'll decline. She may care for Elyon but she was not selfish to betray the others and the unfortunate residents of Meridian.
"I will send Elyon back to Earth-safe and her memories of this place will be erased but I will still drain her of her powers…." Huh. Evil can't really keep himself from behaving; he will really have to take away Elyon's magical abilities but then it was better than having Elyon murdered.
"And? What do you want to have in return?" She asked and the prince smiled slyly and gave her a knowing look. She found herself staring at the coldest set of emerald eyes she ever saw in her entire life, it was also very calculating. The moment she arrived inside the throne room, she already knew that the prince was studying her every move. But she manage to show a poker face, she showed him that she wasn't scared and she was confident yet deep inside her soul was trembling in fear.
"You. I want you in return." He replied and for a moment Cornelia didn't understand what he meant.
"What do you mean?" She tried to hide the curiosity in her tone but it came out anyways. The prince sighed.
"As you can see guardian, Meridian is a matriarchal society. People give power to the Queen and do not recognize a King as sole ruler." He explained.
"Get to the point…" She hated long stories, as much as possible she wants someone to be direct and frank.
"I want you to be my Queen guardian…"
Cornelia sighed as she recovered from the memory. So instead of Elyon, Phobos wants her to be his captive or Queen rather. She wanted to laugh at the idea, she marrying a man at seventeen?
Yes, yes, she had dreamed of marrying a prince when she was young but the situation was different. Phobos- he wasn't a Prince riding a white horse ready to rescue a damsel in distress, he was a tyrant, a usurper, he was downright evil. Clearly, he wasn't her ideal man and he was the cause of her suffering.
He was the reason the veil was raised, he was the reason why the group of guardians were formed. He was the reason why her life tumbled in an instant. He had destroyed her childhood and now he wants to destroy her future. What can she expect from him if she'll say yes?
That's right; he even gave her the chance to think about it. To weight the things in her mind and how can she even explain it to her parents? She can't just say- Oh, Mom, Dad, so I just learned from Yan Lin that I'm a guardian of the veil and few days ago I also learned that Elyon, my best friend was a Princess from the another dimension and she had an evil brother, and your daughter a girl who dreamed of becoming a hero went to this evil kingdom to save Elyon and guess what, in exchange for Elyon's safety I will need to marry the devil himself. Fun isn't it?
But for the sake of everyone, Elyon, her friends, the people of Meridian, her sacrifice won't be fruitless. She would share the same power as Phobos or rather she'll be more powerful than him. Meridian honors women more so she'll totally overshadow him and he was just there for the title and powers nothing more. She'll be able to affect his decisions and maybe change the current situation of the planet.
Yet, will her sacrifice be worth it? What will she get in return? A crown? A chest full of jewels? Numerous elegant clothing? A lavish room? She doesn't need that. She was showered with these kinds of things since she was a child and even if she wasn't a princess, she clearly was contented with what she has.
Damn. She was too heroic for her own good! She wasn't naïve however and she knew she was the only one who can do this. Besides Phobos can't really force her to do something she doesn't want. She knew that he can't control her. She was wiser than anyone in her group.
With another sigh, she took the relic from her pocket- the seal of Phobos- he gave it to her earlier in case she finally decides on what she'll be doing- either save Meridian or save herself. She made a portal through thin air and after a few seconds, she found herself inside the castle grounds.
It was another dark and gloomy day in Meridian but she was used to the scene. She had been here several times and she will live here, hopefully not for all eternity.
She silently walked through the halls of the palace and it seems like the guards didn't even mind her at all. Maybe their master already has informed them of her future presence.
She took a deep breath when she finally faced the golden doors leading to the throne room. The two guards stationed at the sides moved to open the door for her and she tried her best to calm herself. Phobos mustn't see her in the state of hysteria.
The door opened and Phobos stood up as soon as he saw her, from afar she can see that he was smiling sweetly like he was already expecting to have a positive response from her.
"Cornelia, what a surprise! You came earlier than I expected." He seemed to be in a good mood at the moment.
"I came here to tell you about my decision." She spoke hastily without even saying hello- well, what's the point? It's not like they will be friends after this. He surely gave her no choice or rather she had a choice to escape her fate but she chose hell instead.
"And what is it?" Phobos asked and flashed a sly smile at her however the coldness of his eyes was still there and for some reasons, she knew that this proposal of his also had another reason; he surely wants something from her that's for sure. But she'll find out, she'll need to.
"I accept your proposal. I will be your Queen."
*The Rumpelstiltskin idea was taken from Once Upon a Time. ;P