Sorry I've been gone for so long, but i'm back, and any reviews for this chapter will be very much appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. but I do own E.L.I.T.E.

ELITE: Team, Chapter 4

Meridian

Something was looking down at Talia. Her vision was blurry as her glasses were askew. She was lying down on something hard, and there was an aching in her backside.

"Are you OK?" the thing said.

"Uhh..."

Talia reached up and put her glasses on right. The thing hovering above her was a person, a boy, about her age.

"Um, i'm OK." she said, letting him take her hand and pull her up. Talia muttered her thanks as she took in her surroundings.

She seemed to be in a marketplace, with several stalls with strange people selling all kinds of things, like oddly coloured fish and sacks of orange potatoes and purple tomatoes. And the 'people' selling these things, they weren't people at all! They were creatures, aliens, with all kinds of different colour skin and hair.

"Where...?" Talia began to ask, before she suddenly remembered. She was in Meridian. She spun around, looking for her companions.

Where were her fellow Guardians?

"Are you lost?" the boy said. She turned to see him. He was tall and handsome, with extremely pale blue skin and black hair. He had dark green eyes, which seemed to sparkle with mischief, and he wore brown trousers and a jacket which had a gleaming white badge on it. Something about him made Talia's heart rate spin out of control. Fighting back a blush, Talia took a deep breath and averted her eyes.

"Um, I think so." she said, Stop beginning sentences with um!she was thinking. The boy was smiling at her, as the market people began to notice that she was there. They were muttering to each other curiously. Talia felt a tug on her skirt and she turned around. Stood there was a little boy, with orange skin and fiercely red hair. He was barely tall enough to reach the hem of Talia's skirt as he stared wondrously up at her.

"Are you a fairy?" he said cutely, his pudgy thumbs twiddling. Feeling her heart melt, Talia knelt down to eye level.

"No, i'm a Guardian," Talia spoke gently, "do you know where the palace is?"

The boy nodded shyly, waving a chubby arm to his right. Talia stood again, looking in the direction in which the little boy had pointed. She went to thank him, but she discovered that he had run away.

She heard laughing behind her, and she turned to see that same boy who had picked her up. Getting rather embarrassed and irritated, she stomped up to him.

"Do you have a name? Because I need some help." Talia said to him. He grinned cheekily and nodded.

"I'm Favik. Trainee warrior and personal bodyguard of Princess Noylé." he said.

"I'm Natalia, and i'm the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar and a Guardian of the Veil. I'm here to see your Queen." Talia said, slightly uncomfortable with announcing herself in that way. Seemingly impressed, Favik held up his hands, palms outwards.

"You win," he said, laughing, "I'll take you to the castle, follow me."

- - -

"ELLIS!?" Izzie yelled as she ran around the marketplace, jumping over wheelbarrows that were being hauled about and looking around corners, "ELLIS?!"

"Izzie, calm down." Lilia was saying. She was wrapping her arms around herself nervously as Ebony struggled to climb out of the marble fountain that had graced the town for so many years. She was sopping wet and so angry that nobody was helping her that she was thinking about blowing up everything she saw. Lilia, noticing this, went over to lift her out, as Izzie continued to run around, even using her wings which were still not cooperating with her.

"You told me Ellis knows this place!" Lilia said as Izzie crashed back onto the ground next to her. Lilia had heaved Ebony out of the water and was standing back, looking thoughtful.

"He does, he-"

"Hold on."

Lilia took a deep breath and then blew Ebony with such an impressive force that she had to struggle to stay on her feet. It worked though, because when the gust of wind from Lilia died away, Ebony was dry again. Ebony, not thanking her, scowled and turned away.

Izzie and Lilia looked at each other worriedly, as they walked past Ebony and began to make their way to the huge white palace that they could see which was a short distance away.

- - -

"Favik!"

"Ellis!" Favik exclaimed, slapping Ellis on the back and shaking his hand, "It's good to see you, old friend."

"The same." Ellis smiled, looking at Talia who was behind, "Talia, where are the others?"

"I dunno. We must have got separated in the portal."

Ellis was looking worried, before shrugging and grinning again,

"Never mind, they'll be able to see the palace from wherever they are," he said, "Come on."

The three turned and walked the short way to the palace gates, which were made of white marble. Favik showed the badge on his jacket to the guards and they immediately let them in.

"Ellis!"

Ellie turned on his heel to see Izzie, Ebony and Lilia running towards them, from a different direction. Eillis's heart did that familiar flutter at seeing both Izzie and Ebony, followed by the even more familiar sensation of guilt and confusion.

"Wait!" Ellis said to the guards, who were closing the gates behind them, "they're with us!"

- - -

After the remaining Guardians had joined them, they- along with Favik- climbed the stairs to the grand palace, something of great beauty which none of them (other than Favik and Ellis) had ever seen before.

They entered the foyer, which had two huge staircases on either side of the enormous room which joined in the middle. The Guardians were wondrously looking around, their wings fluttering nervously.

"Greetings, Guardians of the Veil. Hello, dear."

"Hi, Grandma."

They turned, to see Cornelia and the Light of Meridian, Queen Elyon. Cornelia was wearing robes of a dark green, and the Queen wore a beautiful dress of a breathtaking white and blue, along with her crown. Even though she must have been the same age as Cornelia, she still looked young.

Izzie looked at the others, as she didn't know how to react. They were in the presence of a Queen! Elyon looked at each of them in turn, smiling widely. She nodded at Favik.

"Hello dear. Fetch Noylé, will you?" she had a calm, slightly dreamy voice.

Favik bowed his head,

"At once, your Majesty."

"Elyon, please!" the Queen said loudly as Favik ran up the stairs and out of sight. She turned back to the Guardians, who all had their heads bowed, other than Ebony, who was frowning at the Queen. Elyon looked at Cornelia, who nodded and turned back, disappearing behind a door.

"Please follow me, Guardians."

Elyon turned and glided peacefully towards the door that Cornelia had gone through. Ellis rushed to open the door for her, and she smiled at him before entering. The Guardians walked into the room, which was regally decorated with paintings and sketches of people which were framed on the walls. It was quite a small, snug room, which had a large wooden table in the middle that would seat all eight of them. Elyon sat at the end of the table, Cornelia sat beside her with her fingers entwined. Elyon waved her arm around her.

"Please, darlings. Sit."

They did so, noticing that there was one more free seat.

"My granddaughter, Noylé, will join us in a moment." Elyon said, seeming to be able to read their minds.

As she spoke, a young woman entered the room, dressed in a long white and gold dress that consisted of a corset and skirt. Noylé was around fourteen, with long sand-coloured hair that hung in bangs, large brown eyes and was very pretty. She wore a gleaming silver tiara on her head, which was encrusted with diamonds.

"Greetings, Guardians," Noylé said, nodding at each of them in turn before sitting on the other side of her grandmother.

"Now," Elyon said, "before we get down to business, please introduce yourselves."

Taken aback, Talia looked along the row of Guardians -in which she was sat in the middle- before standing, coughing a little before she spoke.

"Um, i'm Natalia Auclair; and i'm the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar," she said, before pointing at each of her companions in turn, "This is Lilia Lavrova, the Guardian of Air-"

Lilia grinned her huge smile, which was returned by the Queen.

"-Isobel Baylor, the Guardian of Water-"

"Call me Izzie, please..."

"-Ellis Hale, Guardian of Earth-"

Ellis nodded at the Queen, who of course knew him already.

"-and, um, Sara Manson, Guardian of Fire."

"My name is Ebony." Ebony growled.

The Queen smiled, before laughing a tinkling laugh.

"It's nice to meet you, Guardians." Elyon said quietly, before her eyes took on a harder tone and her voice became more serious, "Now. Let's get to the business at hand."

The Guardians looked at each other, knowing that the worst bit was about to come.

"The worlds are in danger," Elyon said, "and it's up to you to defend them."

The Queen went on talking, but Talia noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Looking, she saw Favik, his head just poking around the door. He was looking straight at her, and her heart rate increased again as he winked, before closing the door quietly as he vanished.

- - -

Hope you enjoyed (this was a bit of a filler), and please review!

AB,

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