"Look at this Cedric." Phobos said with a small smirk formed on his cruel lips as he watched his scrying pool as a certain redhead fled from the school she was supposed to be attending.

"What is going on, my lord?" Cedric asked, looking into the pool confused.

"Do you see how she runs from her problems, her supposed friends as if she has lost everything?" Phobos said, his smirk growing more as the perfect plan for not only making the guardians suffer without lifting a finger as well as gaining the Heart of Candracar. "While I admit to not knowing all that has transpired the pain in the girl's eyes is evident and from what I've seen she has convinced herself that she is alone in the world. It will be child's play to grab her now since she is running from school and her friend's are stuck there for the rest of the day."

"So you want me to eliminate the girl?" Cedric asked, forming a grin of his own as his eyes danced in excitement.

"No, I want her brought here unharmed." Phobos smiled, "Make the girl's friends think that she had run away while we bring her here and convince her that she is alone…Except for us. If we convince her that we accept her we may be able to get her to freely hand over the Heart to me with all of its powers."

"My Lord, I don't mean to question you but what if Elyon finds out that Will is here?" Cedric asked a little worry seeping into his voice.

"Relax old friend, I am counting on Elyon finding her here." Phobos said turning back to the pool to enjoy the pouring tears of the redhead as she finds an alley not far from Cedric's now abandoned book store. While the inversion point in the back storage room was destroyed thanks to the guardians there was still the one in the basement.

"B-But…" Cedric started.

"I have everything all under control my dear Cedric, just retrieve the girl before she has time to rejoin the others." Phobos said waving the man off, "It will be so easy which almost makes it a shame. It will be nice to watch the guardians suffer and when I finish with their leader…Lets just say that the girl doesn't know what true pain is yet."

"Of course my Lord, I'll leave right away." Cedric said bowing a little before stalking off after his prey leaving Phobos to watch the sobbing girl collapsed in the alley in sobs. Phobos did have to wander what had caused the redhead so much pain as she seemed the strongest of the five girls. She seemed to have the self confidence the others lacked but looking into those eyes…The same sad eyes she always had made him wonder if all of that bravado the girl showed was just all an act.

It didn't really make sense though as to why she would be putting on an act like that. Then again he knew all too well the stress of leadership can cause and the need to keep a strong front at all times, even when it was the most difficult to. It would actually be fun to se how much he could play with this girl's heart, how far he could push her before she completely shattered.

If he wasn't planning on letting her go in the end just to show the guardians the broken shell that he had made their precious leader he mused that she might actually make a good slave. She was strong and could help a lot in the kitchen or other chores around the castle as his sister would if she didn't die from him draining her powers when they reached their peak.

Looking her body up and down as she shook with sobs, laying there in the alley he had to admire her form. She was, as he found out recently, just past sixteen which was actually how old most girls were in Meridian when they wed. Or in this case, as some had become, more than simple servants to the ones who owned indentured servants. She was a very beautiful girl and had filled out nicely due to actually eating and living a healthy life. She might make a decent slave for his men as some of them had been becoming restless lately. He even caught one trying to force a child servant to do something which Phobos tool great pleasure in showing all his men what happened to sick bastards like that.

One of the few things that sickened Phobos was the people who took younger ones, girls no more than a mere child and forced them to do those kinds of things. Unlike the slaves Phobos took for defying him the Prince gave out much harsher punishment to those people. He enjoyed actually publicly flaying their skin off them slowly making them scream and writhe in pain. It was a great show that stood to warn others not to try something like that.

It wasn't because he had a soft heart, it was far from that. It was because as evil as he was that there were just some things that got to him. He never could figure out why and there were numerous rumors to why he was so harsh on people breaking those laws.

Taking a last look at the redhead he shook his head, he wouldn't do that to her. Sure he would enjoy breaking her spirit but something was stopping him from going any farther. He knew he couldn't let any of his men lay a finger on her body and violate her, for some reason it just wouldn't be right. He angrily shook his head as he started having doubts about the whole thing, he would go through with his plan. He would break her spirit and take what was his in the Heart of Candracar as well as the power of the Heart of Meridian.

WITCH

Will couldn't believe she had fled from school like she did as it would make Susan angry for sure as that seemed to be the only time the woman paid any attention to the redhead anymore. She didn't care though, she couldn't stay there and have everyone watch her breaking down which she was doing now. She had collapsed in a filthy alley, not even caring about it or no longer caring if anyone saw her sobbing loudly.

"Well, you weren't very difficult to find." A male voice said, his voice soft, almost melodious as it held a trace of victory. Will shook a little as she hoped for it, prayed to herself for the man to finish her off. She knew who it was without looking up as she knew the voice anywhere as belonging to Phobos's right hand snake Cedric.

"Just get it over with." Will choked out as she finally sat up a little straighter to look up at him, tears still falling heavily causing him to look taken aback before he reached toward her making Will sigh in relief. She wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore as she would finally be put out of her misery,

"Wh-what are you doing?" Will gasped as the man gently lifted her bridal style, letting her rest her head against his chest. She looked up to see a slightly blushing man holding her carefully, treating her as if she would shatter into a million pieces if he was too rough with her. The way she was feeling she wasn't too sure if that was impossible or not as her heart already had been broken.

"Prince Phobos asked me to come and get you, he saw you and was worried about your safety in your current condition." Cedric said causing Will to shake a little more as she buried her face in the man's chest as he carried her out of the alley, the rhythmic motion actually gentle and calming as he walked.

"Great, so he saw how pathetic I am." Will asked, angry at herself. "I guess he wants to kill me himself."

"Actually, he doesn't want to hurt you." Cedric replied, shifting her weight in his arms as he reached out to open a door somewhere. Carefully Will craned her neck to se the book shop that he had posed as the owner of not long ago.

"Yeah right." Will scoffed, she knew better than that. She was actually looking forward to it as she was too much of a coward to kill herself and she frankly didn't care what Phobos did as long as it involved ending her miserable existence.

"Child, I basically raised his highness and I know him better than he knows himself." Cedric smirked, the smirk actually reaching into his voice. "I know he isn't planning on hurting you."

"Tell me another one." Will sighed, "The only reason I'm not making a purse out of you is I'm counting on what he's going to do to me."

"Really child?" Cedric asked walking down some stairs, descending into darkness scaring Will despite herself. She may have wanted to die but that didn't take the fear away of what would happen to her after she died and how it would happen. She was sure it would hurt but seriously didn't care much about it believing what ever the man could do to her would pale in comparison to the pain she was already feeling.

"Tell me something, lizard lips, do you have any idea what its like to lose everything you love?" Will asked quietly just before she felt lightheaded a moment before realizing they were no longer in the darkened basement but standing in a stone room with torches hanging on the walls.

"Truthfully child, yes I have. All of us have lost stuff we cared about but how we deal with it is what defines us." Cedric said surprising Will a little as he seemed kind, almost caring. "People don't make us who we are, we make ourselves who we are. Just remember that child."

"Whatever…" Will said as she couldn't help thinking that over. What the hell was up with this man anyways? They were enemies and he almost seemed like he was trying to comfort her.

"Oh my god, is that Will?" Elyon's voice gasped causing Will to clutch Cedric's shirt even tighter as she didn't want anyone else seeing her like this.

"I think she needs someone to talk to, your highness and a chance to freshen up before seeing the Prince." Cedric said smiling gently at the princess, "Do you think Miranda and yourself could help her a little bit?"

"Sure Cedric." A strange, unfamiliar feminine voice said as Will felt herself lowered to her feet.

"Will, what happened?" A timid but very worried princess asked taking Will's hand. The redhead tried to pull away but Elyon refused to let go.

"What do you care?" Will asked angrily, though she wasn't sure if it was from Cedric not taking her to Phobos to meet the fate she was hoping for or if it was from being humiliated at Cedric leaving her in the broken state she was with someone who was just as bad as Cornelia when it came to hating the redhead.

"Will, I admit that we weren't ever very close but I never hated you." Elyon sighed, "I was jealous that…That Matt liked you so much and ignored me."

"You have to be kidding me? Matt doesn't want someone like me." Will sniffed, using her free hand to wipe her eyes a little.

"Come on, Will, lets get you cleaned up and out of those filthy clothes then we can talk some." Elyon said dragging a struggling redhead along with her and another girl with long, black hair.

NOTES

A little different from my original plans for this story but hopefully everyone likes the twist in the story here.

Philip Gipson: Welcomies and thankies. She is going to have a hard time before her but as to what her final fate will be is still yet to be seen It must be hard though being in her place. Another of my fave stories which I may write a fusion with KP and Witch sometime in the future as I have a basic plotline worked out for it and a little work done on it. I always felt so bad for Ron in that movie and was actually happy that Eric was a synthodrone in the end as it got Kim and Ron together. Thankies, I try to because Will is my fave character in Witch and I believe she is a tortured soul like you said even in the comics and cartoon, though less so in the cartoon than comics.