Will materialized in an unfamiliar room. It was a small bedroom with pastel walls and rustic furniture. Naturally wondering why she was in the unknown place Will heard a hushed conversation behind the door and then an elderly woman entered, carrying a woven basket.

'Oh, you finally here. I was beginning to think you will not show up. Got tired at waiting.' she bluntly said placing the basket on the table and taking out its contents. Various bottles and herbs were pulled releasing a gentle aroma across the place.

'Girl, why are you looking at me like that? You catch flies. Sit down, please,' the gray-haired woman huffed with slight irritation.

'Excuse me, but who are you?' Will asked with reasonable suspicion in her voice.

'My name is Alma, and I am a village healer. Your friends transported you here to the rebel base.' the old woman politely explained.

'I see…' Will sat on the bed suddenly suffering from the exhaustion of the few past hours, not knowing what to feel anymore. Everything Phobos did puzzled her but one thing she had to reluctantly admit, they had an attraction to each other in the most basic way. The things he could make her experience with just a simple touch were overwhelming. She could vehemently deny it, but the pull was there especially when he looked like a walking sin. Will bit her lip imagining the possible consequences if she stopped struggling with her own decision to stay away. It was tempting. Sensing his staggering power under the skin... how easily they merged their magic. The forbidden kiss melting her from inside. The fact that Heart of Kandrakar responded to him, made her think Prince Phobos was something else. There was not an ounce of hidden malice in their interactions. Yes, he was quick to anger and liked to engage in cruel games… but evil... Will was unsure.

'Guardian, if you don't mind, I would like to check for any lingering after-effects. The mind magic can be a delicate subject' Alma sincerely requested standing beside her.

'Go ahead…' Will sighed, it would be good to receive a second opinion on things. The healer's hands softly glowed massaging her head. The magic felt cold and pure, like spring water flowing through, maybe just a bit intrusive. The healer tutted and tapped her on the chest. Will shuddered feeling like the ice cube slid down her back, straight to her toes. The sensitive soles started to burn and itch. Glancing at her feet Will saw a few glass shards falling out. Why she did not notice them sooner, she did never know and was too drained to care.

'Well, everything seems in order. The Prince sure knows his craft, always had a knack for it… pity, these days he's more into destruction than creation…' Alma muttered in evident disapproval.

Caught off guard Will flinched out of the woman's arms standing in a defensive position, panicking inside. Was her secret discovered?

'How do you know?' she warily asked narrowing her eyes.

'Easy there girl, your secret is safe with me. The moment you were brought to me I had to perform a health check and your thoughts was so ungraded it was extremely easy to slip inside. However, mind magic is beyond my capabilities. That being said, just a few people have a capacity for it and some of them would disagree on principle. You could have died. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it will not be the case. I covered your disappearance, so stop doubting me and come. I prefer conducting serious conversations with a cup of tea.' the healer turned around and motioned to follow, still a bit uncertain Will accompanied her.

The house was modest and cozy, reminding of village cottages with calming colors and rustic furniture. In the kitchen, the fire burned in the fireplace. Even when there was a more sophisticated stove, the kettle hung above the fire on the old-fashioned hook. Alma puttered examining the pantry and soon two mugs of berry tea and buns with a vegetable filling sat on the table. The elderly woman relaxed sitting down on the wooden chair and took a sip of the pleasantly aromatic tea. Will anxiously followed suit.

'Don't be shy, you must be famished after spending so much magic' she motioned to the food on the plate.

Taking a bun and biting into it Will was delightfully surprised by the rich taste. The filling was hearty and spicy while the dough completely melted in the mouth. As she ate, comfortable silence filled the room with only the crackling of the fire and rain outside to be heard.

'Being relatively younger than now, I worked in the castle as a medical apprentice and witnessed many things.' Alma started the story and Will leaned closer in obvious interest.

'Prince Phobos did not have the easiest childhood. From the moment he was born the court held him at a distinct disadvantage just because he was male and could not inherit the throne.'

'What? Why? That just sounds wrong…' Will frowned at the social inequality.

'Is it different on Earth?' Alma naturally asked intrigued about the life outside her planet.

'Well, historically it was an opposite. Only the male heirs could inherit the titles and now we don't have those anymore. Women are equal to men, and society selects who possess the right to lead. People do not grant our leaders absolute authority it's regulated by sharing the power between equal members. They act as advisers and lawmakers.' she tried to explain and simplify the modern way of life, imagining it should be a novel idea to monarchy-ruled people. Remarkable how different world works… to you we should look old-fashioned. You have to understand Metamoor is a matriarchal society. We were always ruled by Queens and over time some laws were more focused on women. It does not mean our men are in any way lesser. They merely have other responsibilities. Now where I was?' the old woman wondered lost in her memories.

'Phobos childhood…' Will gently prompted her.

'Yes, well… the prince was an active child and despite the grumbling in the court at the firstborn male, everybody genuinely liked the boy. I repeatedly had to heal the scratches on his legs or arms, after all, he spent most of the days playing in the gardens. Everything changed when Phobos was six years old. I don't have the specific details, but there was an assassination attempt. Queen Weira was beside herself granting the ancient magical protection to her son or that was what we were told after noting the royal seal tattoo on his neck. However, the boy I knew changed. Gone were the charming smiles and childish exuberance, it was exchanged with calculating glances and calm manners. He spent most of the time in the library reading mountains of books, learning from private tutors, and observing people. It was like he saw the world in a different light. And his eyes… no child deserves to have such gaze… every so often I pondered what happened to him to look more mature than any child and at the same time so full of wonder at the world…' Alma sighed, slowly taking a sip of pleasantly warm tea.

'Why are you telling me this?' Will was a bit puzzled. She wanted to hear more than the crumbs everybody knew. Nobody ever shared the details of their life with them, maybe because Guardians were outsiders to the Meridian, not used to their culture. Yet, there sat an elderly woman willing to talk about her memories.

'I am old, Guardian, and we elderly people are more than willing to share our life stories with the young listeners. Plus, I have unintentionally breached your privacy, and you could use some advice. If sharing my knowledge could help there are no disadvantages in that.' the healer smiled reassuringly.

'I'm more than confused… everything I know is fighting with my desires… what should I do?' Will admitted putting her head on the arms and hiding face. It was too much and too fast. The confusing emotions were tearing her apart.

'I cannot give a satisfactory answer. You have to decide yourself between feelings, and a duty' Alma shook her head looking at the Guardian. The girl was young, but it looked like she carried the world on her shoulders.

'What happened next? How did he become so hated?' she asked in a tired voice.

'That is a grim tale… It began when Queen Weira confirmed her second pregnancy. A joyful occasion was dimmed by the sudden death of the Royal Consort. A hunting accident. Many thought about foul play, but there was no evidence proving it. The Queen was miserable and after the grand funeral was over her health plummeted. The court held their breaths in waiting. If she died without a suitable heir, who would rule next? If a girl was born, there would be a new ruler. However, she will be too young to take the throne requiring a Regent until the child was of age. Queen Weira had a brother and a son, both were dismissed as unsuitable for their gender, so the scheming began. As healers, we had no privilege to attend the court, but an infirmary is an excellent place to overheard things. From the rumors, I gathered factions were easily formed and

broken because everybody was competing between their noble rights even if the Queen was still alive.'

'Sounds awful…' Will trailed lifting her head and listening intently. The house was silent even the pitter-patter of the rain finally settled down to the calming drizzle.

'It was, believe me, there is nothing worse than a room full of cunning women. The standstill changed on the night the princess was born. It was a difficult night. My teacher the royal doctor, myself, and a midwife delivered a healthy baby girl, but the queen was weak. After making sure everything was alright we departed from the bedroom leaving them peacefully sleeping. I still have no idea what happened after we left. The only thing I know in the early morning hours an explosion rocked the whole castle. It was a violent backlash from the outburst of the magical power originating from an unexpected source, our prince. I found him hysterically screaming and crying in the middle of the rubble. The room around him was wrecked except the bed where his mother's cold dead body lain. As soon as Phobos saw me, he instantly changed as if a switch was flicked, becoming silent and unemotional… There were no signs of the princess, and we feared the worst…' an old woman pressed her wrinkled hands to an empty cup. She slowly stood up and went to kindle the dying fire, putting in firewood from the wicker basket. Will sat frozen on the chair trying to comprehend things. She did not know a whole story, but it was easy to imagine such tragedy. No wonder Phobos was so confusing, the sheer trauma experienced would have serious consequences on any person. Was it the only reason for his actions? Probably not… you either become evil or are born one. Something niggled in her mind.

'How old was he?'

'Eight…' Alma answered filling her cup with hot water and herbs. Sitting down and getting comfortable she continued.

'It took only one night to completely decimate the Royal family. Our beloved Queen was dead, the princess was missing and later we found Weira's brother's body in the rubble. The only one left was Phobos. The court came like an angry hissing nest of snakes, accusing him of allegedly killing his own family. There was no tangible proof of Prince's guilt, but by being found at that place he was the sole witness and a suspect. The malicious rumors and lies were tattled outside and inside the palace. A monster, the devil spawn, a killer that was just a few names they called him and Phobos took it all sitting in frigid silence. An eight-year-old child who lost everything. Was he responsible? Nobody knows. The prince never talked about what happened that night, so his secrecy was taken as proof of the crime. A week that's how long the Court waited until they issued an order to throw him into the dungeon, to get rid of the last royal family member. The thing is everybody expected the Prince will go down willingly because he was just a child. Oh boy, the old foxes were surprised when on the day of his mock trial Phobos showed up with an army on his heels. It was a coup. A child took control of their army and turned it against the Court. The magical power he excluded that day was staggering. Their worst fears came true. The child who everybody overlooked was more powerful than any woman in the palace, maybe except the deceased Queen. Phobos seized the throne as the last royal. It was his right not by birth but by the magic he could control. The first thing the young Prince did was abolishing the ancient laws which let inherit noble Titles only by women. He promised that to the army for their help in the coup. Phobos surrounded himself with the young eager Lords who were just too pleased by the changes to oppose him. One of them was Lord Cedric, a clever teenager who risen to power by his intellect alone. Another was general Vathek, a capable swordsman which men trusted. You can only imagine how the Ladies of the ruling class seethed in their juices. A male child sat on the throne violating their birthrights and traditions. It was like a spit in their faces.' Alma stopped talking wetting the dry mouth and letting Will form her own image of the chaos that reigned in the Meridian. It was easy to imagine as she did many history papers on the Kings and Queens of the Earth. The things Will only knew from reading actually happened here, not a long time ago. The differences in their worlds just become even more apparent and this old woman witnessed the history being written.

'I still don't understand… Why Phobos cannot rule? I mean he has royal blood so without a doubt, there exists a possibility?' Will asked thinking about it from a historical point of view.

'It's mostly to do with our beliefs and traditions. You see, every female ruler inherits the title of Light of the Meridian along with the crown. Phobos could not claim that Title, because it is only working on the women. Essentially, he didn't appoint himself as a King even if he could, strangely choosing to remain a Prince. The Light of the Meridian is not just a noble name. The title grants a boost in magical abilities gifted from the Divine Guardian. We believe that a Sentinel born from the Planet itself, gifted the magical powers to the first Queen and they went from one ruler to another ever since. The Divine Guardian is our God. The oldest texts suggest he is a man. Others believe it's a woman and some say it is a genderless entity. Whatever form people choose, everybody believes in our Guardian and protector. The second reason is Kandrakar's interference. The next day after the tragedy the Veil surrounded us. Meridian people are not much of the travelers, but we had traded with other Kingdoms and it was gone. We still don't know why they enclosed us but it gave the nobles even more reason to hate the new ruler.

The third reason is in a few years Phobos took away the power from the nobles. First to go was inheritance laws, next ownerships of the lands and the last was increased taxes for the wealthy. Everything put together broken over-boiled the pot. A rebellion was organized, but whatever old nobles thrown at him, Phobos remained steady and his magic grown even more. In the end, they stepped on the line. After a few assassination attempts he executed half of the opposition, others were imprisoned for high treason. Oddly the execution was a private affair, but the remaining family members got the mementos confirming the fact of death. After that everybody feared to be next so everything relatively calmed down.

Years passed and the kid I known grew into a man. He became detached, cold, and calculating, relying only on himself. But after the things he experienced, I am not surprised.

Strange things started to happen all around the Metamoor. Droughts, unexpected storms, magic disappearing in certain places, and crops withering, everything hit hard on the people. In the shadows, rumors started about Phobos being a tyrant and usurper of the throne, the bringer of disasters. They talked about missing Princess the rightful heir until she became a new shining hope. Silently the unrest started again ignited by the dissatisfied noblewomen. And the cat and mouse game began anew. Sometimes I thank the Divine Guardian that our princess grown up in a different world. In this place, she would have become a pawn between two opposing factions, not a good position for any child to be in.

The rest is history people say. Kandrakar sent you Guardians to tip the scales for better or worse I do not know… Is your boundless curiosity satisfied?' Alma asked concluding her story.

'Thank you for telling me more than I ever wished for.' Will gratefully nodded to the elderly woman 'still, I have a question… How did you end up here?'

'Oh, I retired… too old for a stuffy castle with lots of stairs. Still want to enjoy the rest of life in relative peace.' she laughed merrily.

'But… after everything you are assisting the rebels?' Will could not comprehend her reasoning. It seemed the old healer was fond of Phobos but lived in the rebel village.

'I am a healer. I do not discriminate in aiding those in need, be it a rebel or an army man. They just happened to choose my home village for a base. I guess it is remote enough not to be noticed… your friend, the blonde girl could be a decent healer she possesses magic for it, but her character…' the old woman lightly shook her head in a disapproving manner.

'Cornelia…' Will was not surprised. Her friend always mended their injuries, but at the same time, she was a bit hard to get friendly with her high and mighty attitude.

'I could talk to her about the opportunity…'

The conversation was interrupted by the loud bang of the door and the sound of small feet running down the corridor. Soon a young village boy stormed into the kitchen panting for air.

'Missus, we need you! The Air girl is back, and she brought a friend.' he captured the sleeve of the healer's dress tugging on it in hurry.

'Thomas, how many times do I have to tell you to knock before entering?' Alma stood up and gently guided his hands down.

'She said it was urgent!' the boy complained with a pout.

'Where are they?'

'By the well. I better run to my mom. Thank you missus!' the child smiled and was gone like a little lightning. They heard another bang as the outside doors closed.

'I swear, that child never learns' Alma said in expiration.

'Hay Lin is back?' Will stood up wanting to go out but not knowing the way.

'Seems like it. Let's take a look. Shall we?' Alma ushered her outside after offering well-worn leather sandals for the bare feet. Feeling oddly grateful for not having to go barefoot she followed the woman.

The rain finally stopped and Will saw a few bright sunrays tearing through the dim cloud cover. The air smelled fresh and there were puddles scattered across uneven rock road. Wooden and rock cottage houses spread in various directions covered with vines and flower pots outside the windows. A quiet life of the hardworking people and at the same time armed men marched down into the fields. War. Is this what they brought down to their doorsteps? Maybe it was better if Elyon remained hidden even for a short time. People would gather under her flag, but the princess was nothing like they would expect. What would happen if Phobos disappeared? Are the old rules better than the new ones? Just how much the Guardians changed things with their influence over the skirmishes? And why does the magic felt so thin in the air? Will suddenly felt her mouth going dry. Did Phobos really kill his family? Her mind churned as all the facts she had seen and heard clashed inside like the angry rhinos.

'Will, don't overthink it…' gentle hands landed on her shoulders and she looked into the kind face of the old healer.

'I just don't know what to believe anymore…' Will choked out the only thing she could at the moment feeling as if the world was closing down on her.

'If you ever need a piece of advice from an old meddling woman, you know where to find me. My doors will be open. Now focus, your friends need you!' she motioned to the small square where Will saw exhausted-looking Hay Lin sitting down on the pavement with her back propped against wooden a wall of the well. Taranee was lying beside her with her head on the girls' legs.

'Hay Lin! Taranee!' Will ran to her friends feeling overwhelming relief seeing them again. Unconsciously she knew they were alive, but seeing and believing were not the same. She should have been with them and the guilt gnawed at her heart. Will knelt on the muddy ground checking them over. Despite being drenched to the bone both girls looked fine with no visible wounds.

'Oh my god! Will! You are alive! I was so worried…' Hay Lin opened her eyes and smiled with her whole face 'I brought back Taranee and Cornelia with Irma should be on their way here. The rain was just a cherry on top for the flying…' the dark-haired girl tried to explain why she was so tired. 'Help me, please. We need to check on Taranee…' she closed her eyes again.

'It's ok, Alma will help…' Will trailed, allowing the healer to properly examine both girls. Her hands glowed as the healing magic traveled down their bodies.

'Besides good old magical exhaustion, nothing is wrong with them. Good food and sleep should take care of things. Common, up we go!' she helped Hay Lin to stand offering her a shoulder to lean on. While Will took unconscious Taranee on her back.

Slowly the procession reached the house and Will helped both girls settle down. Alma provided towels and hot tea as Will helped to carefully dry Taranee cocooning her in the blankets.

'Let's go to the kitchen it will be warmer there' Will offered, looking at how Hay Lin patted down her long hair catching any lingering moisture. She was too tired to use magic on herself.

Just as they were situated in the comfortably warm space with hot tea in their hands, the peace was disturbed again when two other girls invaded the room.

'Will!'

'You okay!'

'Where is Taranee?'

'How are you feeling?'

'Hay Lin, you ok?'

The noisy room was filled with never-ending questions. Hugs and smiles were exchanged as the girls were finally together comforting each other in their own friendly way.

'What's happening? Why are you so loud?' another drowsy voice asked from the doorway. Taranee stood there rubbing sleep from her eyes looking at the bewildered girls. And the cacophony started again with squeals and ramblings as they confirmed everybody was alive and well.

'Girls, can you be a little bit quieter?' Alma requested placing food on the table 'sit and eat, that's an order from a healer.' she said in a stern voice reminding them of Yan Lin, another kind and wise grandmother.

As everybody sat and partook in offered meal, praising the cook for the delicious food, they discussed experiences sharing the tales from their own perspective. Even if exhaustion clouded everybody's eyes, the atmosphere was cheerfully brimming with friendship and love despite all the unpleasant events. For a moment the girls were alright…