So, hi people! Wassup? Sorry it took so long, but I had Feile for football last weekend so I couldn't write. On the upside, this should reveal a few questions and chapter 15 is already half-finished. Chapter 15 will take place on the Friday of Will's birthday, I'm saying it's September 17 because I have no actual idea when it is. But in the TV show it's sometime after she starts school, so I guessed September. I also said September because her sister's birthday is in October, on the 31. Anyway, Chapter 15 should be finished by this weekend and updated, so I hope you're all cool with that. So...here it is

A woman sat calmly in her rocking chair, holding a bundle in a white cotton blanket lined with the same coloured silk. It caressed the bundle's skin and kept her warm, like her mother did. The woman wore a long nightgown, covered by her dressing gown. It was made of the same cotton and silk of her daughter's blanket. She sang softly to the child, adoring her in the way only a mother could as she watched her baby sleep. The burning red locks of the little girl looked like a fire had engulfed her head, but the woman could clearly see streaks of gentle blonde running through it, but it could only be seen by attentive eyes. Beneath closed eyelids lay the most gorgeous dark chocolate brown eyes the woman had ever seen. But they too leaked other colours into them. Yellows, reds and blues specked across her brown eyes, making them brighter than they already were. She looked nothing like the woman's son; Phobos. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and a cold expression for everyone who wasn't family. He distrusted so many people that his mother worried if there was something affecting him. But he'd reassured her he was only suspicious. Like his sister appeared to be. Any nurse, who she had not already seen, was under the baby's suspicion even though the little girl was too small to understand her own behaviour. The woman smiled at the little girl, her little Wilhelmina, before standing from her rocking chair and placing her in the crib, readying herself to go to retire with her husband in their room. Wilhelmina squirmed softly, adjusting her position in her crib until her eyes flashed open, and her mother withheld a screech of shock as bright purple irises stared back at her.

"Be calm Weira, your daughter merely reflects my magic." The voice behind her caused her to jump, frightened, but she quickly regained her composure to face the man behind her. He was bald, wearing long floor-length robes and his eyes were brown, radiating detachment, calm and peace. The Oracle. He rubbed a hand over his tattooed head as Weira's gaze burned into him. "Please, Queen Weira. I mean no harm to you or the child. I just wish to explain a future event. To caution you…" The Queen nodded, her face void of emotion as she turned back to her daughter, finding the bright purple once in her irises had dulled some but had not disappeared. The Queen was beginning to worry before the Oracle approached, taking the girl into his arms and focusing his eyes on hers. A beam of light shot out of his orbs into the little girl's and the woman was forced to look away. Once she turned back the light had disappeared and Wilhelmina was asleep. The Queen immediately grabbed her daughter from the Oracle, cradling her as she woke up and the woman was startled by what she saw. The dark brown eyes of her daughter had changed, seeming to adapt the purple into them as they became a radiant cinnamon. "What have you done to her?" "Nothing that her future mate will not be able to reverse." The Queen looked at him, stunned. 'Mates' was a common term on Meridian. It was the first stage of marriage, a ritual before the full official ceremony. It involved the mixing of the two people's blood and then the drinking of it. It sealed them as a part of each other and they became permanently bonded to each other until they died. But to know the Oracle knew her daughter's mate was unbelievable. "You know who she'll be mated to?" The Oracle nodded. "A rebel of sterling green eyes, as bright as emeralds." Rebels? The question was lost as the Oracle delved into the future event with her, explaining to her what would happen to her children. Queen Weira received many shocks, both sorrowful and joyful…Phobos' turning, the birth of a second daughter…but the saddest of shocks, she realized, was when she looked at her baby daughter. Wilhelmina's ultimate duty as a sister…she would—

****Rebel Fire****

Sunday night. Almost a week had passed since returning the key and Will was continuing to question the things people told her. The group of young teens were sitting in the Lin family basement, their new headquarters, chatting away mindlessly. It was the kind of thing close friends did to distract themselves, to release all their worries and just relax. It was the kind of thing that young princesses like Wilhelmina never got to do, because she never had any real friends. They babbled on about the newest of gossip, in their own little world when the red-head walked in, looking at them curiously. These were the Guardians of course, why were they just sitting around here, talking? She'd never realized that they were girls as well, and that they had normal lives to live as well as Guardian lives. Will's life was always anything but normal. Or at least the Earthen type of normal. Her life was what could be expected for the princess sister of the Tyrant of Meridian. "When's the next Guardian mission?" she enquired as the girls stared at each other. Were these things planned? Irma shrugged her shoulders, "We don't plan these things, we just go when we're needed." The red-head gaped at her a moment before sighing heavily. So much for the legendary strength and brilliance of the Guardians. Although, she thought, they are down the Keeper. It's said she leads them all…Maybe they just lack the ability to be as great without the fifth. "No battle plan? Nothing?" Her hopes rose with their hesitation before Cornelia slowly nodded with her assumption. "We got nothing, Will. We're called upon. No call, no answer. Simple as that." The others sipped their lemonade, agreeing with the blonde as she groaned. "Phobos is going to wipe the floor with you." She mumbled before Irma tutted, "Wipe the floor with us. You're on our team remember?"

As if the Guardians would ever let her forget it. Will frowned slightly, jutting out her bottom lip in a slight pout. Though they irritated her some, she had grown close with the Guardians and considered them, especially Irma and Hay Lin, her friends. Though they lacked the trust for full-fledged I'd-die-in-the-place-of-my-bestie friendship, Will had grown to love them in some way. Irma was the most loyal to her, along with Hay Lin and the duo seemed to trust her, believe in her and hold the upmost faith in her as she did with them. Cornelia remained bitter towards her while Taranee remained closed off, untrusting and unsure. But they were all a form of friends. After she had basically sworn her loyalty to them and helped each in a variety of different ways, they had all more or less accepted her. Though Cornelia still frowned, going from cool and calm with Will to firm dislike and anger when she spoke about Caleb as fondly as she did. Wilhelmina found that being further away from her brother and his rules, his 'guidelines', that she and the rebel leader had grown closer and her own acceptance of her feelings grew as they did. It made her wonder why he would ever want to stop her feeling so wonderful. Her stomach rolled over in butterflies at the thought of him and she supressed a grin as she mulled over the Guardians new in-tell.

"So you have no battle plan, no idea how to fight my b—Prince," she covered the mistake quickly, praying that no one heard her slip-up. No one could know her true identity. It was a danger to them, to anyone who knew it, and a risk to their mission against Phobos. "And you're never met the rebels—" "We met Caleb!" Cornelia's face darkened, a negative edge to it as the boy was mentioned and Taranee rolled her eyes. In her opinion, Cornelia took rejection too hard. The only reason the blonde wanted him was because she couldn't have him. He was Will's and even if it wasn't official, a blind man could see that. "Doesn't count—but yet you expect to win the war?" Hay Lin looked at the others, shrugged and then nodded her head enthusiastically. Obviously they were going to win, they were the Guardians. They had to win. Will sighed, taking out her phone. What was she doing? Cornelia stared at her incredulously. What the hell was her phone for? Since when did she use a phone? Over the time they'd spent together, not once had the girl used her phone. Sure, Cornelia knew she owned a phone, but Will failed to use it. Ever. The blonde was under the impression that she didn't like phones or barely understood them because of her Meridian birth, but that wouldn't make sense. She seemed to have been on Earth for long enough and she knew how to work everything else…maybe she was just careless with it and wasn't bothered to answer it or she only used her phone in emergencies? There was silence for a few moments as Will held up her hand with the universal 'one minute' finger signalling them to be quiet. And then, as if she'd ordered it to do so on a cue, it rang.

"Hello?" The speaker's voice was hushed and quick, spitting out rapid words of no relevance as Will nodded her head before shrieking, "What!" Cinnamon eyes widened in alarm and panic and she immediately looked around, pressing the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she snatched her bag and began jamming clothes from around the room into it. No, not just clothes—Caleb's clothes. "Be there in five," she answered quickly before hanging up. She scanned the room for anything she was forgetting and spotted his trench coat beside Irma. Reaching over, she grabbed it, finding Irma giving her an odd look. "What're you taking the rags for?" Taranee nodded her agreement. It seemed that the trio alternated roles. Sometimes Irma was the leader, other times it was Cornelia. Sometimes Irma was the genius, the detective who picked up on everyone's mistakes, other times, though few from what Will had seen, it was Taranee. "It's not a pile of rags, Irma. This is Caleb's coat. It's important to him and he needs it." Hay Lin looked at her with a confused, child-like gaze. "Why are you taking all of his clothes? He's still staying here isn't he?"

Will shook her head. From what she'd just heard from Halinor, the Lin's had kicked Caleb out. The rebel leader had been found in an alley, beaten and bruised, unconscious. It frightened Will that such a strong person could be so easily subdued and knocked out, but there wasn't much that could do that to Caleb in the time she'd seen, including the various bumps and bangs she'd seen him covered in. The news of the attack had circulated to the Lin's who then, being extreme drama queens with an overprotective edge for their daughter's innocence and safety, feared for Hay Lin as she seemed involved with Caleb. The Lin's were the most paranoid people Will had ever met. And out of all of them, Yan Lin and Hay Lin seemed to be the only normal ones. But that seemed surprising considering both were Guardians, one in the 'back then' and the other in the 'here and now'. He was marked as a badass, a trouble maker in their eyes and they didn't want that around Hay Lin. They'd politely asked if there was another place he could be housed to recover as the running of the business kept them occupied too much to care for him properly. To this statement, Caleb had been formally offered a place to stay at Will's house. The thought made her blush. The only males she'd ever shared a home with were Cedric and Phobos. Raythor was an exception as he was always by her side as a parent, a guide and her brother didn't really count much to the same effect as she rarely saw him…or Cedric. This was a new experience for her. Sharing a home with a boy, who she happened to like. He would be housed in the room below her attic. It would hopefully be comfortable for him and he would adapt quickly. Or so was the expectation.

"Sorry Hay-Hay. Caleb's moving into mine. Your parents found out he got jumped and they don't want him around you. So I'll be taking care of him with Halinor and Raythor. Gotta go get 'em, bye guys." With that she flashed them a smile, hastily tele-transporting away leaving the aww's at "young love" to trail after her. Cornelia frowned deeply, drawing a line between her current emotions and brooding that was crossing extremely thin, feeling whatever chance she thought she had with Caleb drift away, trailing after the red-head the rebel was infatuated with. No boy had ever refused her ways, her swinging hips and seductive gaze. But she had never liked them, never felt interested in them, not the way she was interested in Caleb, the way she craved him. She knew it wasn't love, probably lust, but that didn't mean she didn't like him. It didn't mean she couldn't love him in time and him her. But with Will here, everything was complicated and it meant that there was no 'in time'. It meant that there was no chance. It meant that there was no hope.

****Rebel Fire****

Caleb moaned, covering his eyes against the light as the curtains were pulled open, allowing the morning to glare at him, trying to make him drag himself from his bed to avoid the harsh light. "C'mon Sleepy Boy, up off your ass!" Was that—"Will!" he screeched, tumbling to the ground as he stared at her, grinning at him in all her fiery beauty and Caleb found himself blushing as he recalled everything.

…Flashback…

He was walking. Walking towards the Silver Dragon, ready for his shift before going to sleep. He glanced at the glass-faced time teller on his wrist, something he was told was called a 'watch', and found that if he didn't get there in ten minutes, he'd be late. And ultimately fired or working without pay. Looking around his eyes quickly locked on an alleyway and he speedily ran down it. Caleb was nearing the end when a series of loud shouts and the sound of glass smashing caught his attention. The dank of the alleyway, which wasn't as horrible smelling as some places, was quickly filled with a wretched stench, near competing with Blunk. The passling had become a regular for the dumpster behind the Silver Dragon and spent most of his free time with Will, where he actually showered and bathed. Otherwise, he was completely against it. Turning around, he saw a group of men with dark brown bottles, some with clear bottles with white labels that read 'VODKA'. They reeked of a stench like the drunks of Meridian. "Hey you!" One man slurred before a revelation hit him with a fist. These were the drunks of Earth.

When he woke up, briefly, whole body in agonizing pain, he saw a woman leaning over him. Halinor, if he recalled correctly. She took care of Angel. She looked at him, concerned; before she saw he was awake. "I'm calling Will." She explained, "She'll tele-transport over and get us. Then we can go home and fix you up." She pulled out a phone and then saw Caleb's confused face. "A phone is for talking to people over distance. I'll get Will to show you how to use one." She spoke for several short minutes on the device before seeing his confused expression again. The woman cocked an eyebrow. "Who is Will?" "My Goddaughter." His confusion remained. Her being Halinor's goddaughter didn't clarify anything. If possible it made him even more confused. What was a Goddaughter? A daughter from a God? "What? If she's not tele-transporting into the place of a passling and scaring the shit out of you, you don't recognise her?" His mind struggled for a few minutes, clouded and foggy before it clicked. "Angel?" It suddenly occurred to Halinor that it must be one of the 'name games' Will loved to play with people. The young red head was always far too fond of games. Halinor laughed at the awed expression on his face as he took in the name before he passed out again, allowing himself to be enveloped by the shadows.

The next time Caleb woke up was to the sting of cold liquid pressed against him. He flinched, feeling it score his flesh, jumping only for soft hands to push him down again. Immediately, he'd known who it was, muttering a soft, "Will?" He felt her hand holding his shoulder tightly still as more of the excruciating liquid was applied. Her hand was tense and he guessed she was annoyed that the game was over. Well, not truly over. His pursuit of her was still on-going. Whether she knew it or not. Caleb hissed, feeling the burn but quickly shut up as she cooed him, hushing him. "S'okay Caleb, it's just going to stop it getting infected." Bandages were wrapped around him, carefully and kindly, just like the first time she'd fixed him up and he finally realized he was shirtless. He felt himself blush a light and fading red at the thought before he thought better. Who cared if he was shirtless? Maybe Will would like him more. Then still, without opening his eyes, he caught her hand as the depression in the bed from her sitting lifted and she moved to get away. He could feel the questioning glance of her stare as he pulled her to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he begged for her to stay. He couldn't explain how he did so much with his eyes closed; he only knew that he knew every plain of her body, every inch of skin like he was a well-educated scholar who'd studied the subject of her body for years. He knew every crevice, every pulse point, ever ticklish region. He knew it all. She stared at him for several moments before relaxing herself, wrapping her own arms around him as she sat perched almost in his lap, his arms tightly ensnaring her. He wished for her not to leave him, to stay with him as he drifted out of consciousness. He was pleased when he felt a soft pressure applied to his lips before she whispered, barely a hair's breath away, "Forever Sleepy Boy."

Will grinned brightly at him, walking over to him with a gentle sway to her hips. She was alluring to him and she didn't even know it. He didn't want her to, it kept the images and ideas of manipulation for the Prince far from his mind. He trusted her wholeheartedly, but he often felt a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, a niggling feeling that told him to keep his guard up. "Careful Caleb, I just bandaged you up. You're still injured…" she trailed off, helping him up and expertly ignoring the sparks of electricity that buzzed through their meeting fingers. "…school might be traumatic enough without you being physically hurt." He had momentarily tuned out, but he quickly frowned, shaking his head. "School?" The place had been described to him with a range of colourful language and images of horrid creatures by Irma and Hay Lin. They had made Phobos' castle look like the perfect home; like Heaven, and he feared the place like any earth boy would. Red nodded as he full on pouted, looking at her with begging eyes. He didn't want to go there and he wouldn't, not if his life depended on it. "Haven't I suffered enough?"

****Rebel Fire****

The duo marched into the building, Caleb gripping Will's hand tightly as she led him in, ignoring everyone's stares as they watched the two newbies. Will knew new schools like the back of her hand, knowing every rule to follow, who to piss off and who not to, whom to be friends with, who to prank and who to ignore just like evolution did. The last one applied to most of the boys at the school, but some had been briefly summarised by Irma as 'decent' but Will could see she was using the term loosely. The pair were in the 'special' classes for people who needed to catch up in school as they'd been in a 'special situation' at home which prevented them from learning. Caleb was going because it was a requirement and would keep him busy, or so he was told. While Will was going so she could look for her sister. It had been too long since she'd last searched and she vowed to do everything she could to find her, jealousy and envy aside. It was important she found her soon; before Phobos did now that she was one hundred percent sure he'd lied to her. If he could lie so easily to her, the one who loved him and worshipped the cracked and broken path he walked on, then there was no telling what he'd do to the sister he hated who had absolutely no knowledge of him. And Will wanted to protect her sister; above all else, it was her mission.

"Will," Caleb muttered, the name still sending chills of excitement through him. He liked that he knew her name; that he knew a piece of her identity and that he was slowly unravelling the mystery that was Will. He didn't care that Will was technically a man's name as he had learned earlier from Halinor, among other things, that Will's full name was Wilhelmina. She glanced at him with a smile, squeezing his hand reassuringly as she interlaced their fingers, bringing him closer to her side. She saw how all the girls of the school looked at him. Like he was fresh meat and they were the starving carnivorous animals of the world. They stared at him like they were children deprived of sugar, staring into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. And it irritated her. Will was sure it was her feelings for Caleb making her react this way, but she quite frankly didn't care. The point was, she liked him, and he liked her. He was hers. She was his. And they better get that through their thick heads soon. "Is this hell? It looks like a prison?" Will snorted, thinking of just how true that statement would be. But her mother had always told her, "Knowledge is power and with great power, comes great knowledge. It's the same in all worlds and laws and in order to fight, you must know how." It was always an incentive to learn; so she could have magic. "It's like a prison Caleb. But you'll learn something here." She replied. His thumb gently caressed her hand and she smiled slightly brighter as they walked towards the office, feeling some of her possessiveness stave off. The only thing that crossed their minds being how perfectly their hands fit together. Like the spaces in their hands and souls were filled by the presence of the other. Like it was meant to be.

****Rebel Fire****

Cornelia was happily chatting away with Hay Lin while Taranee tried to explain Latin to Irma. It was one of the few subjects she was failing, much to her parents' surprise, though none of her friends knew she was actually quite good in school, they only knew her as a prankster. Although, there was the sneaking suspicion that Will knew. She seemed to have a way of finding but anything she wanted to know, like Cornelia and gossip. Cornelia was in the middle of her sentence, ready to continue her rant with a huge gasp of air when the three Sheffield Snobs or Barbie Bitches as they were called cut in. "Hey Corny!" The blonde cringed at her nickname. She was okay with it on the occasional time Irma said it, after all they were friends but these bimbos knew it annoyed her and weren't her friends. There was the difference and it was the one thing that kept Irma alive in comparison to the broken nose Cornelia was tempted to give these three idiots. "What's up dye job?" She shrugged as the bimbos gasped, Hay Lin giggling at their offended expressions. "Whoa, who're you saying has a dye job, Little Miss Anorexic? That's it isn't it? The reason you're wearing that huge shirt?" Another thing the Guardians hated, in fact most people hated, about these girls was that they didn't realize most of the things they used as insults were real problems and that there were people in that condition that needed help. They only saw it as a fault with someone, a piece of ammunition they could use to verbally attack and berate them, humiliate them. And it infuriated everyone. The blonde Guardian was about to retort, as were the others when a new voice cut in, equally irritated, "The only reason you're calling her anorexic is because you're too self-conscious to admit that you feel fat and you're jealous of Cornelia. Now back off and take your eating disorder shit with you."

The voice was soft but harsh. Even though being both was impossible, the person themselves was impossible. There was so much confidence in the voice and a certain defensive edge to it that made Cornelia think it was especially for her. It was like the person couldn't bear to think of her or any of the Guardians getting hurt or believing the bull shit. Irma's eyes lit up with excitement, Hay Lin grinning ear to ear as she bounced on her feet and Taranee let an unsure but friendly smile slip onto her face. It wobbled at the edges with distrust but it remained friendly in composition. The blonde instantly knew who it was. Will. Will was here and she was fighting her battles, defending her like a mother would her child and she hated it. She couldn't explain why, but there was something about this girl defending her that irritated her. "Hey fire hydrant! Butt out! This is our bitch contest." "You know if bullshit could fly, you'd be in fucking orbit. You've obviously won this contest because the only bitch here is you." Another scoff came from the bimbos and suddenly they were halfway across the school grounds, angrily muttering to each other. Cornelia turned to glare at the girl as she saw her three friends applaud her. Caleb was standing behind Will, grinning at her and marvelling her like she was a goddess sent from Olympus. It only brought a bitter spark and bite to the blonde as she snarled, "I can defend myself!" Sparing herself the pissed off and shocked stares of her companions; Cornelia gathered her things before stalking off. Only after she left did she feel an intense wave of hurt coming from the same spot she'd just vacated. She quickly turned around to look back and almost choked on the guilt that came crashing down on her. Will's hurt expression burned into her memory.

The girl hadn't appeared with any weakness before today and suddenly she was—The guilt swarmed in her chest as she tried to tear her eyes from the scene, wanting to run over and apologize, anything to get rid of that wounded face. She quickly brushed it off. Sorry was too late now, and it wasn't her fault. Will was the one butting into her business. Cornelia was free of fault. If Will kept to herself then nothing would've happened. It was her fault, not Cornelia's.

****Rebel Fire****

Caleb quickly walked into the cafeteria with Will. She had been feeling a bit better since the Cornelia incident and wasn't nearly as wounded as before. It wasn't anyone's fault. Cornelia was just a little pissed off and took it out on Will. She wasn't used to having someone to defend her and stand up for her without earning it, without working for the trust so they would fight for her without hesitation, and Will had done so despite the blonde's dislike of her. It was a change and the girl didn't deal well with change. Or so that was her theory. Caleb knew it was just pure anger at Will for fighting her battles and doing something that made her better than Cornelia, because she would never do that for a stranger. The blonde girl was jealous of Wilhelmina and it was obvious. Will smiled at him, pulling her hand free before heading over to the lunch queue. She was going to snag some edible food while he went to sit with the girls. Irma had warned Will about the food, so she knew what to avoid while Caleb didn't.

At first he'd refused to let her order his food and then bring it to him like a servant, it would make him no better than Phobos who gave her tasks in enemy territory where she could be harmed, but he'd heard it was Will's birthday on Friday and thought Irma and Hay Lin at the very least, might like to know. Cornelia seemed to hate the red-head and while Taranee liked her, the trust for friendship wasn't there. "'Sup Caleb." Irma waved, happily turning away from Cornelia after giving her the evil eye. Caleb liked her. She was laid back and sincere, but above all else, she was tough. She was defensive without being unsociable and unfriendly. She was like Will and accepted people with care and caution, fighting for them once she was sure they could be trusted by her at least. She didn't mind much if certain people didn't trust her back, she was willing to give them a chance either way. He sat down on the plastic chair, straddling it as he leaned his arms on the back of the chair. "Halinor told me something interesting," he started, gaining their attention as he snuck a quick glance at Will, ensuring she was still in line. He'd seen her reaction. She didn't want anyone to know it was her birthday on Friday. She didn't even want him to know it was her birthday and they were, amazingly, closer than the others. It was like she was ashamed. "Well Caleb? This interesting news…" "Will turns fifteen on Friday!" "Friday?" "Yeah." Irma frowned. Will hadn't said anything to her about her birthday. "She doesn't want anyone to know. She almost yelled at Halinor for telling me." Taranee looked at him confused. "Did you say 'Will'?" The rebel grinned while the others finally tuned into the station. He didn't know her name before today. "Halinor told me before Will came to come get me." The others nodded as Hay Lin bobbed her head. That would explain Will's anger towards her care-taker. Giving Caleb information she didn't want him to know. Before anyone could question, Will walked over with a smile, one that hid her sulky expression well. She tightened her smile as she plopped the 'food' on to the table. "And I hope you're poisoned for it." she stated, gesturing to the 'food' as she sat down beside him, "But yeah, me and Hali cleaned him up…well it was mostly me. I cleaned Caleb up, bandaged him and made sure he wasn't broken." Because broken things can't be fixed, she mentally added.

She was broken, on the inside. The people she loved and fought for lied to her, betrayed her. Or they were dead. Promises made to her were broken and the things she was forced to endure were unreal. And it was all because of one person's doing. Phobos. Will knew, inside and out, what it meant to be broken and while she was with these people, people she called friends, and a boy she felt was her love and life, then she would do her best to prevent them from being broken. She looked at the people around her, feeling their casualness radiate into her, pushing her to a state of calm. She was tempted to slouch but decided against it. She needed to remain proper, with the mind of a princess to match the mind of the prince and estimate his next move. Her eyes rolled to see Caleb staring at her curiously. He seemed to be studying everything, questioning everything and Will sometimes found it intrigued her while other times, such as now, it irritated her. She didn't want him to study her. To question her. She didn't want him to discover whose sister she was. She wanted him to like her, to kiss her and hug her, and love her. And if he found out about her brother, then it was obvious that those things wouldn't happen. Ever. The feelings he already possessed for her would be null and void. They wouldn't grow into anything like love, they would dissolve into hatred. And she didn't want that. "You okay?" he whispered, leaning closer as she felt her eyes lock with his and two daggers glare at her. Probably Cornelia. "Yeah." She eased, smiling a little as he nodded, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek before walking away to get rid of his tray; leaving the blushing red alone with the teasing of her colleagues.

****Rebel Fire****

Phobos glared at Cedric, attempting to intimidate the snake but the General could see the pain in his eyes and knew it like his own. Cedric's younger sister, Miranda, had gone missing before, she had been tainted and her mind worn down until she could barely function and she had acted in great betrayal. IT had hurt but eventually she had come back and he hoped, for the Prince's sake, that Wilhelmina would see sense and return as well. Though he had a feeling Wilhelmina's leaving and betraying them was her one doing. "How could she?" He mumbled, but Cedric still heard it as if he had shouted. He'd been unable to find the princess and he'd now been unable to approach Wilhelmina. Neither Cedric nor the Prince knew why, but they knew it was magic. "How could she not?" Cedric enquired. Phobos knew what the lizard was insinuating. That it was he who'd driven her away, made her want to go with the Guardians. But he also knew, though it was possible for him to have driven her away, that his sister had screamed for him, desperately tried to escape their clutches. "I may have lied, but the Oracle himself predicted my sister's plunder. He spoke with my mother and told her all I need to know to understand what has happened to her." "Plunder you say?" The serpent's eyebrow raised in curiosity as Prince Phobos nodded. His favourite, impeccable sister had made a mistake? Was it possible? Well, the reptile thought, she hasn't made a mistake yet. Or had she? Phobos' ideas of mistakes were often very different to a bystander's ideas and the Prince's ideas were beyond preposterous and radical. They reached a new level of insane in some ways. Just as his punishments did. Cedric knew Wilhelmina followed her gut instinct, a thing fabled to be more powerful than any magic, and by leaving her brother and his wicked ways, she'd proven how strong it was. Maybe now, she would fight her brother, defeat him and take her own ascension to the throne. Or better yet, she'd kill the prince and remove him from the equation all together. Cedric may be a demonic-like snake, but he didn't like the way the Prince treated Wilhelmina. It reminded him far too much of how his sister Miranda was treated and he held resentment towards his Lord for that.

"May I ask, sire, what plunder will this be?" "An easily corrected one. The solution will be astonishing. One that ends a rebellion and returns my sister to my side for comfort. One that shall freeze emeralds in place and crush the hope of my defeat." Cedric stared at the man, even more intrigued than before. What on earth did he mean? What had happened to her? What would he do that would return such a strong willed and grudge-holding girl to his side? The way the Prince's voice faltered was with worry, concern, anger, so Cedric expected it was something bad. But what could it be? Not much could hurt the girl. Sure, she didn't have an awful lot of magic, but she wasn't stupid and she could defend herself. That and her unbelievably fast healing rates meant that she couldn't be injured for more than a few days. "Sire, I'm afraid to say that I'm not exactly…following." The serpent cringed under the man's scrutiny before the razor harp laugh of the prince cut through the air, cackling with humoured bitterness. "Oh Cedric. That was an enjoyable moment I admit, but please allow me to give you a hint. What emerald sees red, and calls young girl's hearts to fight against everything?" The man paused as his comrade began working on the riddle. Phobos and his sister always had had a knack for being cryptic.

To fight against everything would be to…rebel…Emerald that sees? Emerald coloured…eyes? A rebel with green eyes that see…red! He gasped. "Your sister is in love with the rebel leader!" Cedric understood the man's hatred for the word, for the feeling that was 'love'. He'd never experience love, neither had the Prince, but he knew that it was something magical. Something of a powerful magic that rivalled the Prince's, another reason that it was hated by the man. The Prince nodded, before grinning almost sadistically. "And I shall save her from the perils of love," he spat, "by killing him."